Destined to Defy, Fated to Fight
by SailorTwinsies
Summary: When Neo-Queen Serenity tries to revisit the Moon Kingdom, a fluke phenomenon sends her to an alternate Earth where the Dark Kingdom reigns. She'll either have to sacrifice this world's senshi to return home and follow her destiny, or fight her fate and embrace a new power.
1. Chapter 1

***I do not own Sailor Moon. Story is based off the original manga.***

"Queen? Neo-Queen Serenity? Wake up!"

Usagi jerked in surprise, her head toppling off her arm like a bird knocked from its perch.

"Sorry, Mars. Continue," Usagi said and yawned.

"Honestly, you never change."

Usagi snorted, then recovered and waved for Rei to keep talking. Rei was in uniform, the sailor senshi outfit pristine. It had been years since they battled any threats to Crystal Tokyo, but the skirt and bow were a symbol to the city. Usagi stared at the jewel on Rei's chest, fleeting images of her own Eternal Sailor Moon brooch flickering past her drooping eyes.

A hand rested on Usagi's shoulder and she sat straighter. King Endymion brushed his lips across her ear while he said, "Allow me. You should rest."

With as much grace as she could muster, Usagi stood. Her dress flared about her and draped to the floor. The table fell silent. Venus sat to Usagi's right and raised a concerned eyebrow while Mars stopped talking. Even Mercury paused in her detailed notes, though Jupiter's glazed eyes made Usagi smile.

"I'm fine, but M—the King is better suited for business infrastructure than I ever was." Usagi shifted her weight. After fifteen years she should have been accustomed to the cold formality they'd adopted after Chibiusa was born. No, not Chibiusa—Serenity. Usagi's name, her mother's name, and now her child's. A child who refused to grow up until, in another 890 or so years, she'd travel back to fight alongside a past Sailor Moon while she'd be encased in crystal. Helpless.

Destiny—complex and unavoidable.

"Let me escort you back to your chambers, Queen." Jupiter stood and bowed. Usagi was about to wave her off when Jupiter added, "Please."

They walked side by side through the sparkling palace. The clear sunny spring sky reflected through the transparent crystalline walls. Glimmers of light spilled into rainbows across their path. After Usagi and Mamoru had married, their power overflowed through the Silver Crystal and grew into the palace she'd only seen in the future. That's when she knew her life was on its set path, never to deviate again. It was only two years later that she lost the ability to transform. Since then, her job became to be Queen, and only Queen. Sailor Moon passed into legend, and Usagi—the girl who'd grown up with two normal parents and an annoying little brother—ceased to exist. Yet she still felt like that girl.

"Do you ever miss it?"

"What would that be?" Jupiter spoke and strolled, her long legs carrying her too quickly for Usagi to match. Jupiter noticed and slowed.

"Our old lives. Fighting together. The girls we used to be."

"You mean the too-strong freak who chased away all the boys? No. I don't miss that."

Usagi laughed. "Okay, maybe not that part."

A door creaked open from beyond and pattering steps raced down the hall. "Mama!"

Usagi knelt and swept little pink-haired Serenity into a hug, kissing her cheek. She looked the same now as she would the first time they would meet. Their timelines were tricky, and to make matter worse the Pluto guarding the vaults of time right now wasn't the same Pluto she'd fought with against Chaos, but she would be. Pluto's powers over time had never clicked in Usagi's mind, no matter how much extra her tutors crammed in there.

"What are you doing out of your studies?" Usagi asked Serenity.

"Michiru let me have a break when we heard you in the hall to say hello."

"That was very kind of her. Is she coming as well?"

"Yes, I'm here," Michiru rounded the corner and curtsied, her deep green gown fluttering over the floor with a light swish. Her hair was up today, the aqua strands bound in a loose bun. Her beauty never ceased to halt Usagi's breath, but she wished they wouldn't curtsy.

"Hello Michiru, how is Haruka?"

"She's at the Crystal Raceway as we speak. Her celebrity status keeps her busy."

A pang echoed in Usagi's chest. Haruka, out of all her old allies, seemed to detest the honorifics and royal status markers as much as Usagi did. No one else seemed to understand that her gown and crown were only a disguise for the clumsy dull girl underneath.

"Come now Princess, we must return to our studies." Michiru held out her hand and Serenity slid to her side. "My Queen," Michiru curtsied again. If Haruka rebelled against etiquette, then Michiru was her opposite.

"Mako-chan," Usagi turned to Jupiter, who startled at her name. "Thank you for joining me, but I'd like to walk alone for a bit."

"Of course," Jupiter nodded deeply, a form of bowing without bowing. "But if I may answer your previous question, the only thing I miss is your easy laughter."

Usagi only managed a sad curl of her lips before walking away. The Usagi she once was had been full of laughter and lighthearted ease, but when she was crowned it had been agreed among them for both her and Mamo-chan to fully embrace their royal selves to better serve Crystal Tokyo. This life wasn't hers, it belonged to the stranger in the mirror wearing the crown.

This future came too quickly, now Usagi was expected to rule as a perpetually youthful fraud. She'd known her path when fighting alongside her friends, but ruling over them set her apart.

Usagi's bedchamber was empty, the room echoing her steps. The ceiling was twenty feet tall, arching in a elegant sweep of beams—all crystal. A transparent castle, her life on display, and no room for mistakes.

"Buns, you need some time off, that's all." Endymion suggested when Usagi tried to admit her discomfort to him. Calling her Buns was the only concession she'd found to the formality forced upon them for the last fifteen years.

"Mamo-chan, I'm not over-tired or stressed from my burdens, this is different."

"Buns, you know not to call me that."

Heat rushed up Usagi's back and into her cheeks. "MAMORU," her voice carried through their room. "You are my Mamo-chan. I can't keep pretending like those parts of us are dead! Like my past never happened!"

His violet cloak billowed as he quickly cradled Usagi. "I'm sorry, Buns. I didn't realize how much this was affecting you."

"I don't feel like myself. I have no idea who I am anymore." Usagi inhaled the smell of roses from his royal tuxedo, the design remnant of his old alter ego.

"You've always been you. You've been royalty since before you were reborn. Give it time and this will feel natural."

Usagi pressed back so she could stare into his deep blue eyes. His hair used to be inky black, but it had lightened, as had her own upon their official coronation. Now her hair had paled to a cross between silver and gold, while his had taken on a lavender hue.

"I feel lost, but there's no one to go to for guidance," Usagi admitted.

"You could speak with Luna."

"Perhaps, but I think… I think I want to go back to the Moon Kingdom. I want to know my history beyond us. I want to see how I grew up, how I interacted with my first mother. I don't even know my father. There are so many pieces of me missing."

"Buns," Endymion kneeled with Usagi's hand clasped in his. His kissed it gently. "You haven't gone anywhere. Everything you need is already inside you, but if revisiting your past will help, then we will make it happen."

"Thank you for understanding." Usagi took his face in her hands and kissed him slowly. Endymion had stood by her side for this life and the last, she'd always be grateful for his love. "I want to feel like a normal woman for a while. Free."

"For you, my Queen. Anything."

The fabric chaffed in a delightful way across Usagi's thighs as she stood surrounded by her senshi. Her tights and miniskirt felt mischievous after her constant gowns, and the slouching sweater top was the epitome of comfort. She grinned at them all, and although she was eternally young in body, her mind still matured, and at that moment a flare of her young self brightened her smile.

"Buns, promise me you'll be careful," Endymion said.

"Only everyone here is capable of traveling to the old kingdom. I can go alone."

"No, you can't," Uranus spoke up, her deep voice dancing over Usagi's skin. "Kitten, you are too important. I'm coming with. I'll stand vigil in the darkest corner, but I'll be with you."

Usagi slumped, an action she'd never be allowed to take with her crown on. "Haruka, I'm fine. I've done plenty of things on my own."

"Not this time." Haruka took Usagi's hand and winked at Michiru, who returned a coy smile of her own. Usagi and Haruka had always been close ever since their first meeting. Usagi remembered Uranus's surprise kiss from that day and blushed, which only made Michiru and Endymion smirk. Haruka's flirting had never bothered any of them, and Usagi guessed it was because Haruka had never been serious.

Usagi closed her eyes and concentrated on where she wanted to go. She envisioned the old Moon Kingdom in perfect condition, heard the dripping fountains, and even felt the breeze cultivated like a farmer would a crop. She couldn't remember, not really, but she had clips and images stored in her mind from that time.

The Silver Crystal increased in weight as the light glimmered from it. Usagi gripped Uranus's fingers tighter and lifted her chin towards the sky.

 _ **Show me, am I only a Queen? Am I still Sailor Moon? Am I myself at all?**_

Usagi felt the rush of displacement, but in the teleportation surge she lost track of Sailor Uranus's hand. When she opened her eyes to find her, her gaze caught on a city of ruins. A black malevolent cloud pressed down as far as she could see, and distant screams echoed out of the crumbling depths..

Usagi fell to her knees and clamped her hand over her mouth. This wasn't the Moon Kingdom, no. This was Tokyo.

At least, what was left of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Sailor Moon. Story follows the manga cannon, mostly.**

Ash smeared across Usagi's clothing and hands. How was this possible? Only Tokyo Tower was recognizable through the collapsed buildings and dug up streets. The cloud raining ash had a presence to it, a watchfulness that should have registered as a threat, but only felt like a weight against her heart. This couldn't be her city.

There was no sign of the Crystal Palace, none of the new bridges or housing complexes that they'd built since reigning—no gardens, no shrines, no statues or monuments. The city was dead.

Usagi yanked the Silver Crystal over her head and reached for the light inside, begging it to take her home. The crystal was silent. Empty. Usagi tried again, crying out the command until her voice broke, but she only fell forward into the ashen ruins.

This couldn't be real. She'd wake up and be in her chambers. It was all a bad dream.

She pinched her leg, but didn't wake up. Maybe Haruka had been transported, too. If Usagi could find her then she'd be okay. Haruka had always protected her, always known what to do. Usagi grasped the ember of hope and stumbled down the hillside.

Vines, now dried and broken, had torn through most of the pavement and concrete, and blast marks scoured the remaining buildings. The dull crunch of Usagi's footsteps set her on edge. Where would Haruka have landed? Would she be looking for Usagi?

Of course she would. Haruka was a sworn guardian. All Usagi had to do was find a safe place and let Haruka find her.

The inner ring of the city was more intact than the shambles she'd appeared in. Buildings rose up along the crumbled street, the walls tagged with spray paint and windows broken. Scuffling sounds echoed down dark alleys. Occasionally, Usagi spotted notices plastered to poles and window shards. The paper set out edicts for a curfew, rules of appearance, and laws of subjugation. Whatever had happened here, this city was broken and someone should pay for it.

"Psst."

Usagi spun. A wrinkled hand beckoned her from inside a busted doorway.

"Psst," the voice said again. "It's not safe. Get inside."

Usagi clutched at the Silver Crystal, again hoping to feel the warm light within, but the cold quartz didn't respond. There was no way to tell if the old feminine voice was speaking the truth, but Usagi believed in the innate good in every human, and she wouldn't question that now when she so desperately needed help.

As she rounded the corner, a wizened hand gripped Usagi's upper arm and yanked her inside. Usagi went on the defensive, but her movements were slow, jerky—unused. How long had it been since she'd fought? The old woman released her. She was curled with age, her back hunched, her face deeply lined.

"Where am I?" Usagi asked.

The woman's eyebrows rose, exposing her deep green eyes to the muted light. "Tokyo, of course. Child, what are you doing? You can't openly flaunt your rebellion. You'll be killed."

"What?" Usagi looked over herself. Although dirty, she was commonly dressed and presentable. She wanted to smile at being called a child, no one referred to her like that anymore, but her amusement was overridden.

"Your hair," the woman said. "If the Dark Kingdom's minions see you, you'll be taken and conditioned."

"Dark Kingdom!" Usagi covered her mouth and swallowed hard. Beryl. Metalia. Chaos. They still existed here, wherever here really was. But why would her hair be a problem? "Please, I'm sorry, something happened to me. I can't remember what's happening."

"Fine, but not here. Come with me." The woman crossed the rubble of what had once been a convenience store. In a back room, she pried up a large tile and slid into the hole with more grace than Usagi thought possible. Usagi promptly followed, forgoing any concerns or hesitations. Mars would have killed her if she'd known. Would she ever see Rei again?

A tunnel opened up like the passages in a mole hole, but tall enough for them to walk together. Usagi stayed half a step behind the old woman.

"I'm Usagi." She relished speaking her old name aloud.

"Margarette." The woman entered a dimly lit hollow dug into the earth. The walls were fortified with cinder blocks and sand bags. The lights were electric, wired across the ceiling, but dim like candlelight.

"Where are we?"

"Underground."

"Yes, I see that."

"No, we're in the Underground. You haven't been before?" The woman arched an eyebrow, wrinkling her forehead.

"I…" Usagi paused. If she admitted she wasn't from here, the woman might attack her as a spy. Usagi had to have an ally. "I don't remember." Usagi recalled Beryl and the Dark Kingdom's power. "I was hit with something dark, I blacked out and when I woke up…" She let the sentence dangle.

"Yes, there's been several defiers hit with Queen Beryl's power. You're lucky you weren't remade. You must have fallen out of sight. V says there are ways to bring some of the memories back. I'll send a report. First, we need to change your appearance. I know it's tempting to mimic the lost princess, but it's too dangerous while in Tokyo."

"Lost princess?" She wasn't lost, she was right here!

"Yes, the princess has stood as a symbol of hope, but there's a rumor she's dead. I think it's more than a rumor. No princess would let this happen."

"You said V. Sailor V?"

"Ah, your memory is recovering. Very good. Here, sit, have a drink."

Usagi sat on a bench carved from dirt and clay. V was here, that was good. Clearly this wasn't her future, not her reality. She'd destroyed Beryl, and sealed Metalia. She knew Chaos would be reborn someday, but it was too soon. This had to be some other kind of timeline, another world where she hadn't defeated the Dark Kingdom. The old woman handed Usagi a bottled water. It was dusty, but sealed. Usagi drank deeply, she didn't realize how thirsty she'd become from the dry, ashy air.

"Where is Sailor V now? I need to see her," Usagi said.

"She keeps her location secret for obvious reasons. Come here, let's take down your buns."

Apprehension gripped Usagi like a hand around her throat. Her hair was sacred in Crystal Tokyo. A symbol. But it seemed to be a symbol here too, and not one she could afford. The woman's deft fingers untied and combed Usagi's long locks. It reached to the floor and pooled in silvery-gold patches like threads of silk.

"This color is no good. What were you thinking?"

"I wish I knew."

Margarette hummed as she snipped. The tune was vaguely familiar and settled Usagi's nerves. Only Minako had been allowed to cut her hair before, just once after Usagi had broken the seal on the Silver Crystal and her body tried to reconcile her past and present.

"There," Margarette cooed and bushed a few stray strands off Usagi's shoulder. Usagi ran her fingers through it, but felt cold dread as her hair ended in a blunt line at the middle of her back. She swallowed panic. It was just hair. Just hair. It would grow again if she ever got out of here.

Across the hall, Usagi examined herself in a broken mirror. The shattered reflection showed hera stranger in a strange place. She turned away and thanked the old woman.

"Come rest while I meet with the other defieres. We will contact V about you."

Somehow, the way Margarette said it, it sounded like V would be both informed and warned about Usagi's sudden appearance. But even in this twisted world she'd trust V. She still fought the Dark Kingdom, and that was enough for Usagi.

Margarette led them through the maze of tunnels, but Usagi lost track of the rights and lefts. Finally Margarette held her hand out to a cozy room with another soft light. A bed was carved into the dirt wall, and a bucket rest in the corner. If they knew who she was, they'd be mortified to offer her this. Still, Usagi stepped inside and turned to thank Margarette. The door slammed in her face with an ominous click.

"Don't worry child. It's for our protection as well as yours. Once we hear from V you'll be released. One way or another."

Usagi gulped. "I understand. Thank you." Her unfailing royal politeness would have to do, because if Usagi said what she was really thinking, it would sound more like: _**shit.**_

* * *

There was hope, regardless of being locked in a cell. Even in this twisted world Usagi knew her friends could be relied on. They might not know her at first, but she had the Silver Crystal—though it wasn't working—and knowledge to prove who she was. If she helped them find their version of Princess Serenity, then maybe _her_ Silver Crystal would be enough to send Usagi home.

Luna would recognize her, if Luna was in this world. The differences seemed staggering, but Sailor V still existed, and if she did then the other sailor senshi would, too.

The ground shuddered and moaned. Particles of dirt rained down on Usagi in a fine dust. A moment later her door clicked.

"You're Usagi?" A male voice came from the doorway.

"Yes," Usagi stood, shoulders back and hands clasped in her royal stance.

"Follow me."

She did. Halfway down the hall the ground vibrated again. "What's happening?"

"I'm to take you to V," was all he said.

Usagi let out a strained breath. Finally, she'd start making sense of this world.

Three turns later, Usagi and her stoic companion entered a meeting hall. The rounded ceiling reached up ten feet, domeing out to the sides to create a hollow room that could easily hold twenty people, but as they entered only seven others milled around the far end.

The crowd shifted as they entered, parting to let Sailor V move smoothly to the forefront. Nostalgia made Usagi's heart ache. It was really her. Classic Sailor V, her red goggles doing little to hide Minako's stern expression. Usagi teared up as relief massaged her soul.

"Venus," slipped out and Usagi pinned her lips closed.

"V, actually. Now tell us who you are." She crossed her arms, turned out her hip, and arched her brow.

Another rumble rolled across the tunnels like a ominous wave. V's only reaction was to lift her eyes briefly to the ceiling then back to Usagi.

"May we speak alone? I can prove who I am, but I can't divulge my information to any but you. I have no weapons." Usagi held up her hands to prove she was defenceless. With a nod from V, the guard who'd led Usagi here pat her down. Usagi cringed. She wasn't touched by anyone but her court, and this man's calloused hands tore at her skin.

The man nodded at V, so Usagi righted her oversized sweater. V waved her hand and the room cleared, but Usagi could tell they didn't go far. Dust fell in another cloud from above.

"What's going on?"

V crossed to Usagi's side and sized her up, then strolled around her in a complete circle. "Nothing for you to be concerned with. Have we met before? You look familiar."

"I know who you are," Usagi began and straightened her spine. She was Venus's queen in any world.

"Is that so? Well I have no idea who you are. We have no 'Usagi' in our database. You have no connections to the Underground or the Dark Kingdom. Of course it would be easier with a last name."

"Tsukino."

V stepped back and pulled a compact tablet from her pocket, then typed.

"Do you see this?" Venus spun the screen towards Usagi. "Nothing. No record of you at all. Who are you? Why are you here?"

"As I said my name is Usagi Tsukino, but you might recognize my other name. Serenity."

V's composure slipped for a moment, but she recovered before Usagi expected.

"How do you know that name?"

"I'm not from this world. My world—my Tokyo—isn't like this. I don't belong here."

"I'll say. Do you have proof?" A howling rumble shook the ground so hard they stumbled. "Speak quickly," V urged.

"Your name is Minako Aino. You work with Artemis. You fight along with other sailor senshi to drive back the Dark Kingdom." Usagi admired her own diction, realizing the years of royal duty had paid off if only for this moment.

"Shit," V hadn't blinked in a while. "That's not possible. Only the highest ranking of the Underground knows that. Who are you?"

"I am a different version of your princess, except in my world, I've been queened. Neo-Queen Serenity." Usagi felt the mantle settle on her shoulders, the power in her voice shining through even as the ground around them quaked. "The heir to the Moon Kingdom, holder of the Silver Crystal, and ruler of Crystal Tokyo. You must help get me home." Usagi put all her command into her voice and watched V lower her eyes in deference.

"It's not possi—" V didn't finish.

A thundering roar filled the caves. The ceiling cracked and fell in massive chunks. On instinct, Usagi jumped at V, knocking her away from the falling rubble. Dust billowed around them. A figure strolled through the dully lit haze.

Jadeite.


	3. Chapter 3

*I do not own Sailor Moon. This story follows the manga cannon (mostly)*

He wore the same uniform she remembered. The same hair, eyes, and sneer.

"Hello, Sailor V. Miss me?" Jadeite thrust out his hand and a pounding wave of dark energy slammed them against the back wall. Without a senshi suit, Usagi felt each pebble jam into her side. A rib creaked with the force. V shot to her feet as Usagi crumpled.

V attacked, her kicks and punches superpowered with her transformation, but they weren't enough. Jadeite defended and struck back, connecting a blow to V's face. Her lip bled. A bruise blossomed. Someone else dropped into the collapsed room.

Nephrite leaped out, driving his knee into V's stomach with unnatural force.

"No! V-babe!" Usagi stood and jumped out between her, Jadeite, and Nephrite to draw them off. "What do you want?"

"Look at this scared little mouse. Must be new." Nephrite tossed back his long hair and grinned without kindness. "The Underground is done. Your fighters are destroyed."

"Why?" Usagi stalled for time. _Get up V!_

Jadeite laughed. "Not too smart, are you? Beryl will wipe out everything connected to the Moon Kingdom. The Dark Kingdom will reign for a millennium in perfect compliance as soon as you and your kind have been eliminated." Jadeite and Nephrite blasted Usagi with a black wall of energy. It tore at her, ripping clothes and skin alike. She screamed, but stayed in front of V.

"What are you doing? Run!" V ordered.

"No one tells me what to do," Usagi stepped towards the Dark Kingdom generals, but another familiar voice cried out.

"Aqua mist!"

Usagi's heart skipped. Ami! A thick fog obscured the area as a blue blur shot past Usagi.

"Sailor V, are you okay? We have to get out of here."

"Mercury, reroute everyone to the closest safehouse."

Mercury used her visor to input the command, then took V under her arm.

"Take the girl, too." V nodded at Usagi. Mercury's surprise faded quickly as the generals called out from the mist.

"This won't last much longer. We need to go." Mercury offered her gloved hand and Usagi took it. Together the three of them slipped deeper into the still intact tunnels. After several hundred meters of running, Mercury stopped and propped V up in Usagi's arms while she climbed a makeshift ladder to a latch. Once it was opened, she jumped back down, landing easily, and took V. Usagi followed again up and out onto the surface streets. The short climb winded her, and her arms shook.

They darted between dark alleys, then through a thicket. A forest grew around them. There wasn't one here in Usagi's world, but this world didn't line up at all. As the trees closed out the sky, they became as thick as redwoods and taller than most of the surviving buildings.

"Where are we?" Usagi broke the silence, unable to hold back anymore.

Mercury said, "What do you mean?"

"The trees grew up after absorbing the energy of the city, they store it like batteries for Beryl," V said, ignoring Mercury's question.

"Can you make the climb?" Mercury asked. V pressed herself free of Mercury's help and winced.

"I'll be fine."

Mercury surveyed a massive tree, then grabbed a nearly invisible hold in the rough bark. More deftly than she'd have managed without her transformation, Mercury climbed up into the high branches and disappeared in the foliage.

V considered Usagi. "If you are who you say, then I guess I'll be damned for this, but you're on your own." Without another look, V climbed and left Usagi on the ground.

* * *

It hurt her neck to search for V and Mercury among the higher branches. Usagi guessed these monstrous trees were well over 200 feet high. She swallowed thickly, then felt for the invisibly hold. Usagi climbed and regretted it. Without her powers her arms fatigued, and her legs ached. She'd done nothing to maintain her fighting physique and cursed her royal life between huffing breaths.

When she reached the top, Usagi collapsed onto a rough platform perched about two-thirds of the way up. There was no railing. She rolled away from the edge towards the trunk while calming her roiling stomach. How many times had she soared impossibly high? She used to leap from roof to roof, but a little tree was now reducing her to illness. How far she'd fallen—metaphorically.

"Mercury, come meet our guest." V's voice came from above Usagi. Usagi rolled onto her back and took in V's battle wounds and her shrewd expression. Perhaps she hadn't convinced her after all. Mercury held out a hand and helped Usagi up, then led them into a properly walled tree-house. It had a main living room with a couch and chairs, a small kitchen attached along the far wall, and a hall leading off. In the center was the massive trunk, carved and hollowed in places to hold books and food. Usagi had never seen a tree house like this, and she made a mental note to build one when she got back home. _If_ she got back home.

"Do you know who she is, too, then?" V asked, nodding at Mercury.

"Yes." Usagi tried to stand still, but her muscles shivered.

"What going on?" Mercury crossed her arms.

"This girl claims to be some kind of copy of the princess."

"Stop calling me a girl. I make look younger than you, but we're the same age." Usagi lifted her chin at them. They were mid-thirties, but still looked fit and young, just not as young as Usagi who stopped physically aging after being crowned.

Mercury opened her visor. Usagi watched a blurring amount of data scroll across the translucent screen. Mercury tilted her head to the side, then closed the screen.

"There's nothing about her in the database."

"I know," V replied.

"Fine. I get it. Are we alone?" Usagi was losing patience.

"You can speak freely."

"You are Minako Aino, and you are Ami Mizuno. I'm not a copy, I'm her, but I think from another version of this world. I was traveling with another senshi to the Moon Kingdom, but arrived here by mistake. How many of you have awakened?"

Mercury touched her brooch and de-transformed, then approached in cautious steps.

"How do you know us?"

"I fought with you all for years. We were allies. We defeated Beryl and Metalia together, and then Wiseman, and others. You risked your lives for me time and again. It's me, Serenity, even if I'm not the one original to this world."

Ami sat with her tablet and typed aggressively.

"You helped me," V said while Ami was distracted.

"Of course I did."

"Knowing our names isn't enough. I'll accept that you're working against the Dark Kingdom, but the rest is incomprehensible at best, and a ruse at worst."

Usagi nodded. It was nothing less than she'd expect from her right hand senshi. "Where are the others? Where's Luna?"

V laughed. "You really do know too much. Rest, heal. The others will meet us here." V de-transformed and Usagi held back the urge to run into her friend's arms. Minako tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, her bruises already fading, then regarded Usagi again with uncertainty.

"Thank you," Usagi said.

"Don't thank me yet. If you can't convince Luna, then you'll have to convince our mercenary."

 _The senshi have a mercenary?_ This world seemed more and more broken with each hour Usagi stayed in it.

"I just need help getting home. Luna will know who I am, and what to do." _She always knows._

* * *

A deep fatigue embraced Usagi like an old friend. She'd spent so much energy trying to climb and survive, and now she felt safe with her senshi. It was no surprise when her eyes snapped open that there was now light filtering in through the branches. How long had she slept? She couldn't remember moving to a private room.

The bed was soft and warm, but she had to figure this out and get home. The others would be in a panic with their queen missing. The city itself might decay without her there to control the Silver Crystal. Voices murmured out of sight.

Her fingers curled around the crystal hanging on the delicate chain. Still cold—still empty. Usagi whipped back the blankets and stood, the floor around her creaking in a loud whining groan. The voices outside stopped.

Footsteps, then the door to Usagi's room swung open. Minako filled the doorway dressed in ripped jeans and a white t-shirt.

"You're awake."

Usagi wasn't sure how to respond to such an obvious statement. "I rather hoped I wasn't."

Minako's mouth ticked up. "Come on. The others are here." Usagi scrambled out of bed. She smoothed her hair and stopped, swallowing hard. "Are you all right?" Minako asked.

"Fine." Usagi followed Minako across a worn wooden floor to the entry room and saw two more familiar faces. Rei! Makoto!

"So this is the girl you told us about? She doesn't look like much." Mako sized Usagi up, searching over Usagi's hair and face, lingering on her eyes. "Why are we keeping her here? She could be the enemy."

"I'm not," Usagi insisted. "Where's Luna? She can tell you who I am."

"Right here." From behind Rei, Luna strolled out with her tail flicking side to side. She scrutinized Usagi just as Mako did. Luna sat. "You have five minutes to convince us of who you are, or we treat you like an enemy. We can't risk you divulging our safe house. The tunnels have been compromised, thanks to you."

"Me?"

"You were followed. The Underground was taken," Minako explained.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Four minutes," Luna cut in.

"All right, Ami, Minako, Rei Hino, Makoto Kino, Luna of the Moon Kingdom. You were all sworn from a past life to protect the princess, Princess Serenity. Margarette said she was missing, I don't know what happened to her from this world, but I'm Usagi Tsukino, the reincarnation of Serenity from my world. I don't know how I ended up here, but my only proof is this." Usagi pulled the crystal out for them to see. Still it remained lifeless in her hands, but Luna's tail stopped twitching.

Luna kept her eyes on the crystal, but showed no reaction. "What you say is ludicrous. You can't be Serenity."

Usagi balled her hands into fists. "Why not?"

"Because she's dead," Luna answered without blinking. The others snapped their focus to her.

"What?" Rei flicked her long hair back.

"She's perfectly safe." Mako took a step closer to V.

"You're still lying to them? My Venus did that to us too, convinced us she was the princess to protect me." Had their memories not been restored?

"V?" Ami's hand hovered over her tablet, but whatever she'd been working on was forgotten.

"We did it to protect you all. You needed hope. We had to believe we could beat back Beryl." Minako kept her gaze piercing Usagi. Usagi bore it, welcoming the weight.

"Our true princess was killed before she awakened," Luna continued while the girls all stared at Minako. "I was too late, but there was still a battle to be fought. Minako did what she had to to protect you all."

Mako recovered first. "Then this girl is an impostor."

"Yes," Luna agreed.

"No, wait, it's not like that. My world—"

"Makoto. Call her."

 _The mercenary_. "You can't. Luna it's me." Usagi pleaded. "Everyone, wake up! You have to remember the Moon Kingdom. Our past lives."

"Don't let her escape." Luna ordered. "We've already lost the Underground. We've lost our allies. You, Usagi, are responsible."

Rei, Mako, and Minako transformed in a blinding flash of light, but V's traditional costume was replaced by the familiar Venus senshi uniform.

"V, your uniform... you really are one of us." Ami sounded surprised, but Venus didn't respond.

Mars and Jupiter grabbed each of Usagi's arms. They threw her into a chair and Venus used her belted chain to tie Usagi in place. The chain's magic bit into her flesh.

Jupiter made a call on her communicator, her words ominous. "You're needed."

Sweat beaded across Usagi's brow. She couldn't give up. Destiny was set, she would rule, become encased in crystal, then watch her daughter grow powerful. She'd stay by Mamoru's side. Then one day, in the far future, she'd face Chaos again.

Usagi shook. These were her friends. Her family. There had to be a way to convince them. They had to see who she was! They must remember.

"When I was Princess Serenity my hair was so blonde it looked like the sun. I wore it in two buns with long strands hanging free, just like my mother."

"Should we gag her?" Mars asked. Of course it would be Mars to offer.

"Not yet." Luna watched Usagi struggle against Venus's chain.

"Luna, please. In our past I took my own life. How could I know that if I wasn't the princess? Maybe I can help you."

"How?" Ami stood apart from the others.

"I know how to defeat Beryl and Metalia."

A light thump outside made everyone else jump, but Usagi was stuck in the chair. She heard the door swing open.

"This thing was clawing his way up pitifully. I thought I'd help."

That voice. Shivers erupted over Usagi's arms and legs. She craned her neck around in time to see Uranus drop Artemis down. He grumbled something about handling it on his own.

"Harkua!" Relief made Usagi cry.

Uranus tensed. "A problem?" She wouldn't meet Usagi's eyes.

Neptune strolled in just behind Uranus. They both wore their thirties like goddesses, their maturity only adding to their strength and commanding presence.

"Michiru!" Usagi's tongue seemed to have a mind of its own.

"She's an imposter and a spy. We can't risk it." Luna summed up.

"No, wait. Haruka it's me. Serenity! You know me." They'd always shared a deeper connection, Haruka would know her, she was sure of it!

"How does she know that name?" Neptune moved closer to Ami.

"She claims to be her," Ami explained. "But she's dead."

Neptune didn't say anything, but looked away.

"You knew?" Mars's expression turned hard, her eyes narrowing.

Uranus paid no attention and reached her hand out. A sword materialized in her grip, the long silver blade glinting in the sun.

"Look at me! All of you." They had to _see_ her. Why couldn't they recognize her? Was this world so cruel that they would kill her rather than risk trusting her?

Usagi began to cry—not for her life, but for them. No matter what happened to her, her senshi were in so much pain.

"You all must be so lonely." Usagi closed her eyes and pictured her loved ones back home. Their light and love, their smiles. Her family—all of them.

Usagi blinked. Uranus, aided by the wind, rushed in. Haruka was formidable. Usagi forgot how fierce she was. Before the blade could slice into her heart, Usagi uttered a quiet message.

"I forgive you."

The blade broke skin. Usagi could feel the exquisite agony of a familiar death. A blade to the heart. Another destiny from another time. The pain grew, blossoming from a resonating pulse to an all encompassing streak of fire. She screamed.

Light blinded them all. Energy slammed outward from Usagi and pinned the senshi against the walls. Her chest blazed with heat, but the white light pulled her skin together. Somehow, even on this world, her power hadn't completely deserted her.

Venus's chain fell limp to the floor. Usagi stood and a shadow of her true self overlayed her common clothing and shorn hair.

"Princess," Uranus breathed.

Usagi's light and power softened, releasing them all. Haruka immediately took a knee and bowed her head.

"The crescent mark," Ami's eyes filled with tears before she, too, bowed. The others followed suit.

On each of the senshi's foreheads, tiaras disappeared and were replaced by their planet symbols. Quiet gasps came from her senshi as they remembered the pain of their shared past. No, not her senshi, and yet they resonated with Usagi's power. Her chest healed, but she could feel her energy dwindle. Without the crystal, her power was unfocused and weak.

When the last of the light faded, Usagi felt naked as they dared look at her. She wasn't one of them. Like home, she was set apart by the past, and by the future.

Haruka was the first to stand. She approached with cautious steps, then traced her fingers along Usagi's jaw and cheek. Her eyes were so wide and such a vivid blue that Usagi recalled a summer sky.

"I knew you'd see me," Usagi whispered, and then her strength gave out and she collapsed.


	4. Chapter 4

Haruka caught the princess, barely sagging under her weight. The girl was light, with almost no muscle mass around her shoulders and back. Haruka changed her grip and easily hiked the princess over her shoulder. Without conferring with the others, she carried the girl to one of the bedrooms and set her atop the mattress and covers.

She brushed back the girl's hair. She was so young, no more than a kitten. Unlike the other senshi, Haruka and Michiru knew Venus was a fake, though the lie had seemed necessary. Technically Venus was the leader, but Haruka and Michiru had always worked on their own.

As Haruka memorized the lines of the princess, something uncomfortable bubbled within her. She was glad to have the moment alone to let the discomfort pass.

"What is your name, little kitten?" Of course the girl didn't answer, but Haruka could sit no longer. She needed action.

Swift and light as the wind, Haruka sprang back to the others and took Venus by the throat. "Explain to me why I nearly killed the princess."

Venus clawed at her throat. Haruka rolled her eyes. She wasn't holding her _that_ hard, but she released Venus anyway.

As Venus coughed and massaged her throat, Haruka kept talking. "I follow you as a courtesy. We are not under your command. Neptune and I only work with you to keep Beryl from spreading."

"Uranus. Enough." Neptune's voice split the air like a cold splash of water. She touched Haruka's arm and the roil of something close to fear settled.

"I told you we couldn't trust them," Artemis said.

"We needed more allies," Luna reminded him. Haruka had heard the argument before. Several times.

Venus, who seemed to have recovered, stood to her full height. _Shortie_. "We didn't know it was her. You didn't either."

Haruka let out an angry huff. "So now what? Where has she been this whole time? Does she have the crystal?"

"It seems she both is, and isn't our princess. Our Serenity is dead," Luna said.

"You all saw the mark as we did. She's from the Moon Kingdom." Neptune crossed her arms.

"But she looks so different." Jupiter sat on a nearby cushion and put her head in her hands.

"Why do you look guilty? You didn't almost kill her." Come to think of it, Haruka's sword was still across the room where it had blown from her grip. She picked it up and let it dematerialize until she needed it again.

" _ **I forgive you"**_

Why would the girl say that? How could she when there was no way Haruka could forgive herself? They'd been looking for the princess for over twenty years. Exasperated, Haruka raked her hair. Neptune caught the movement and pulled Haruka's gloved hand into her own. They interlocked fingers and squeezed. Michiru grounded Haruka, always, but this time she still felt unsettled. There was a magnetic pull towards the bedroom. Couldn't they all feel it? They were all sworn protectors, devoted to only one above all others: Serenity.

The name made Haruka's hair stand on end. She hadn't even dared think that name for years.

"The question is what do we do with her now. She doesn't belong here, according to her." Ami flicked her compact tablet and it projected to a screen on the wall. A detailed biography of one Usagi Tsukino appeared, including a death date. "This is the Earth name she gave us. Luna is correct, our world's princess is dead."

"Then who's world does she belong to?" Mars asked.

"One where Beryl and Metalia are gone." A new voice came from behind them. The princess leaned against the wall, her face strained.

"Stupid girl, you should be resting." Haruka slid free of Neptune, but hesitated to approach. She'd just called the princess stupid. Good job.

Neptune moved to the girls' side, but the princess looked back at Haruka. Neptune noticed, and retracted her hands.

"Uranus, help the princess." There was an glint to Neptune's eye.

Haruka stepped up, aware they were all watching. "You're not afraid of me?" The girl shook her head and accepted Haruka's arm for support. "You're a strange little kitten." The princess faltered a step and froze. Tension ran tight along the other senshi in the room, but the princess recovered and allowed Haruka to lead her to a couch.

"What name do you go by in your world?" Ami asked.

"Neo-Queen Serenity." The silence was so still even the wind refused to move. The girl sat straighter as she said it, but slouched when she said, "But I prefer Usagi."

"You're a Queen? How?"

Usagi sighed, then caught sight of the screen and paled. Haruka shot Ami a glare and she wiped the screen blank.

"Mamoru and I were crowned when I turned twenty-two, about fifteen years ago. The power of the crystal stopped our physical ageing. I must get back to my world. I was trying to visit the Moon Kingdom, but somehow I wound up here instead."

"We never knew other worlds existed." Luna was about to say something else when a window shattered. Glass shards rained down. Haruka lunged for Usagi, cradling her small form against the debris. A massive light flared, accompanied by an explosion. The tree shook.

Haruka's ears rang, but she'd protected her eyes against the flash. Neptune mouthed something at her, but she didn't need the direction. The princess—queen?—must be protected at all cost.

Haruka whipped Usagi into her arms and lunged towards the door, but the girl wiggled free. How could she escape her grip? Sounds returned, though muffled. The treehouse creaked, swaying as if an earthquake were uprooting it. Venus and Mars were trying to help and defend each other. Ami, still untransformed, was knocked out and being nursed by two cats. Jupiter and Neptune were locked in combat with two of the Dark Kingdom's general's. Water and lightning worked together, but the ones known as Zoisite and Kunzite shielded easily.

They needed Uranus. Her sword came to her without thought, but where had the princess gone? There!

Usagi stood in the middle of the room, the attentions of both Zoisite and Kunzite drawn to her inactivity. Clenched in her hand was a necklace, its chain trailing from her grip.

"Let them all go. I'm the one you want."

"Idiot!" Haruka tried to leap to her side, but Usagi held out a hand to stop her. Should she listen to her command? Or ignore it like Venus's?

"What interest would we have in you, kid?" Kunzite paused his assault to consider her.

"Because I carry the Silver Crystal."

 _Ignore her command, definitely ignore._ Haruka snaked her arms around Usagi's waist, her trim form more solid than she'd first thought, and hoisted her back.

"What the hell kind of princess is she?" Neptune vented, breathing hard, while Haruka dragged Usagi back.

"One who doesn't let others fight her battles for her."

Damnit, if only she'd stop squirming! "We're sworn to protect you." Haruka grunted as one of Usagi's knees met her thigh.

Zoisite laughed, a sound like nails across a chalkboard to Haruka's ears.

"You have to release me. I can help them," Usagi stopped fighting Haruka's hold.

"Who's side are you on?" Mars yelled from across the room.

"Luna! Give me a broach! Let me fight!"

Zoisite stopped laughing. He flung out his hand towards Luna, but Artemis intercepted. The blast shot him across the room. Venus screamed. Luna darted forward and Haruka set Usagi down. Luna glowed.

"You better know what you're doing," Haruka warned, but no one acknowledged her.

The tree lurched and they were all thrown aside. Leaves fell like rain outside.

Luna's light dimmed and she pushed a jeweled compact towards Usagi. They shared a look, but Haruka didn't understand the significance.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"

A moment of light, cool and clean against Haruka's skin, and then another senshi stood beside her. Her hair was up in two tight buns, a simple tiara gracing her forehead, but her eyes were old and sharp. This wasn't a girl, this was a woman… a woman who'd seen more battle than maybe even Haruka.

A twinge of recognition tickled Haruka's throat. "Sailor… Moon?"

Sailor Moon flashed her a bright smile and held out her hand. A stick appeared with a crescent moon on top. She twirled it in her fingers, then dashed towards the generals. Mars fell back to give her room, while Venus protected Artemis's unconscious body in her arms. Luna managed to reawaken Ami, who transformed.

Sailor Moon's weapon seemed to act as part shield, part energy blaster. Energy ricocheted around the room in chaotic defence and offence. Sailor Moon came alive, her movement swift and sure. Her power had to rival Haruka's. The girl should have been blasted back like the others.

"You need to wake up," Sailor Moon said to Kunzite. "This isn't you. Moon Healing Escalation!" The beam of light cut through Kunzite's shield and hit both him and Zoisite. Although they roared, the beam didn't seem to injure them.

Both generals calmed, and looked past the light to Usagi.

"It's you." Zoisite stared at Sailor Moon with tears in his eyes.

A black void opened behind the generals and Beryl stepped through. Her floor length red hair draped down like a curtain of blood. She clenched her outstretched fist and both Zoisite and Kunzite disintegrated down to two stones, which she enclosed in her grip.

Sailor Moon made an incomprehensible sound of pain, and fear.

Beryl smiled, cold and calculating. She whipped her hand back. A deep crack echoed around them. Beryl stepped back into her void and disappeared as the tree creaked in a scream. All around them the wood withered and shrank, suddenly sucked dry.

Everything tilted. Haruka hurtled for Sailor Moon and managed to grip her tight just as the tree let out a final crunch—and fell.


	5. Chapter 5

_Protect the princess!_ Every cell in Haruka's body screamed at her as she fought the loss of gravity.

"Wind, help me!" Leaves swirled around them, pushing against Haruka's feet. She used them for leverage and shot out the broken window. The shattered edges cut her arms, but she and Sailor Moon leaped free of the massive trunk as it crashed down around them. Branches whipped by as a deafening rasp from the dying tree drowned out their screams.

Haruka hit branch after branch as she tried to slow their descent. Their old hideout ripped apart, chunks of wood splintering like shrapnel. A few more meters until the ground. She snagged a branch with her free arm, popping it out of the socket. It burned, but slowed them enough to land safely. Despite her shoulder, Haruka clutched Sailor Moon tighter.

"Idiot! Why didn't you run? You're the princess—queen—whatever! We're supposed to protect you. Don't make that harder than it has to be."

"Uranus," Sailor Moon's voice was small, but there was pain and something tight growing in Haruka's chest driving her rant. Why couldn't she relax her arms? Was Michiru okay?

"You put everyone in danger. If you'd come with me at the beginning then… then…"

Sailor Moon's entire body shook. Her transformation faded away, leaving the same girl in torn tights and a thick sweater, hair unevenly cut.

"I'm sorry." Tears made Usagi's voice thick. She tried to speak again, but her whole body shook. "You're hurt," she managed to get out in a broken voice.

"Princess, I'm fine. Please stop crying." The tightness in Haruka's chest sharpened. Her anger ebbed as the pain dulled to a constant throb, but she couldn't unwrap herself from Usagi. She was afraid if she did, the princess would break apart entirely.

Haruka stroked back Usagi's hair, letting her hand come down under Usagi's chin. Usagi wiped her nose and eyes on her shoulders and sniffed.

"That's better. Let's find the others."

Usagi leaned her cheek into Haruka's hand, then rolled off. Haruka's shoulder rotated. She sucked in a sharp breath.

"You're shoulder!"

"It's fine. I'll get Michiru to set it, it's not the first time." Usagi draped Haruka's good arm over her shoulders as they stood. "I can walk," Haruka protested.

Usagi's face was set in a stubborn pout, her cheeks still flushed and her eyes puffy. _What a strange kitten_. The girl was an idiot, but Haruka smothered a smile and thought she'd be okay serving this kind of princess.

* * *

Haruka weighed twice what Usagi remembered, or has she grown that weak? She sniffled again. Usagi couldn't believe she'd broken down, but she'd been so happy. It was years since she'd felt the rush of transformation, the intoxicating amount of control and strength. She had power as Queen, the Silver Crystal an unending source of immense energy, but it wasn't the same as being in battle one-on-one with the enemy.

She'd lost Zoisite and Kunzite again. If she could, she'd find their stones and return them to Mamoru. He respected their council, even in a ghostly form.

 _Mamoru_. Was he here, somewhere on this version of Earth? He had to be. Everyone else was, but for now she distracted herself with Uranus's injuries and finding the other senshi.

They found Neptune who greeted them with one of her mysterious smiles. Uranus, in her weakened state, paused before being able to withdraw from Usagi's help. Despite the guilt over Uranus's injuries, Usagi was pleased she was trying to save her life now, rather than take it.

Neptune stepped straight to Uranus's side, grabbed her injured arm and pinned it down, then yanked back. A deceptively light pop almost made Usagi sick. Uranus shrieked.

Not five minutes later, Mars and Venus—carrying a now awake Artemis—found them. Another few minutes passed and Mercury and Jupiter followed with Luna.

"Everyone okay? We heard someone scream," Jupiter asked.

"Perfect," Uranus grumbled. "Our safe house was destroyed, our princess isn't our princess, but is, and she happens to be a stupid kitten who walks right into the middle of trouble. Oh, and I dislocated my shoulder. Again."

Both Jupiter and Neptune laughed. "You're such a baby," Neptune teased. Jupiter tried to look more interested in the wreckage around them, but Usagi saw the pink in her cheeks.

"We need to get to another safe house. It won't take long for Beryl to figure out we survived." Venus leaned on Mars. Both were covered in fine wood shards.

"Our place outside the city is safe enough," Neptune said.

Mercury's eyes widened. "That's very generous. Thank you."

They worked together so little. Usagi knew she anchored her senshi back home, but she never imagined such a split between them. Weariness crept up again, but she pushed it aside.

"Where are Saturn and Pluto? Can they meet us there?"

"How do you—you mean they're awake on your Earth?" Artemis croaked from Venus's arms.

"Of course."

Everyone stared at Usagi. No one spoke until Luna came to Usagi's feet. "Only Uranus and Neptune know about Saturn and Pluto, though the others may have suspected." Luna glanced back at Mercury who kept her eyes fixed on her visor's scrolling text. "Pluto is a guardian of time. She cannot leave it unguarded. As for Saturn…"

"She's lost to us," Uranus cut in, a bite to her voice as she held her shoulder. "She would have ended this world if she were able. Come on, let's move. Princess, it might be safer if you transform."

"No. I've used up too much energy. I need to rest."

"You look like a child, and then you say something reasonable." Neptune studied Usagi, then placed her hand on Usagi's shoulder. "You may not be our Princess, but you are of the moon, and that's enough for me."

"And us," Mars added while Venus nodded.

"Us, too." Jupiter indicated her and Mercury.

Uranus came to Usagi's side and examined the other senshi. "Kittens inspire such trust because they're cute, but they can bite, and their claws are like needles." Uranus flicked Usagi's chin. "I'll give you a chance, but I'm not willing to give you my hope yet."

* * *

The trees seemed to press in on them. Usagi stumbled as her energy waned. Uranus hovered a step behind her, and Usagi could feel her gaze. Was she there to catch Usagi? Or make sure she didn't suddenly turn on them. So like her own Haruka to stay watchful.

Her Haruka would have found the King, and then insisted she be carried to safety after losing so much strength. Usagi's heart panged. It didn't look like her Haruka had ended up here with Usagi, meaning she and Mamo-chan would be frantically searching from her world. It was no fair for them to devote so much of their lives to her.

Usagi's mind spiraled as she thought of Small Lady Chibiusa, of never seeing her grow into a woman, of never sharing stories with any of them again. This world wasn't hers. She needed to get home.

Her foot caught on a stone, and Usagi went down. No one caught her, and she hit her knee on an exposed root. The dirt tasted like iron and grass. Her arms shook too hard to get up.

"Princess, are you all right?" Mars knelt by her.

Jupiter nudged Mars aside, then gripped Usagi's wrist and hauled her up. When Usagi couldn't stand on her own, Jupiter put her arm around Usagi's waist and helped her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jupiter said and they fell into line with the group as they continued through the woods. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What happened in your version of the world? Why did you survive when our princess didn't?"

"I don't know. When I was fourteen I found Luna, and she awakened me as Sailor Moon."

"Was there a Sailor Earth? I always figured this planet must have a guardian, too."

Usagi chuckled, which drew the others' attention. Usagi had to lean more and more on Jupiter as she walked. "The Earth Guardian is Tuxedo Mask. He holds the Golden Crystal. Have you been working with him here?"

"I've never heard of him. Hey Mercury, can you search the database?" Jupiter hiked Usagi up higher.

"What's his name?" Mercury's visor slid out when she touched her earring.

"Mamoru Chiba. Or Endymion, depending."

The group stilled, and silence found them. Mercury put away her visior. "He was killed."

Luna hopped to the front. "Princess, this isn't your world. We'll help you get back where you belong."

Killed? Mamo-chan was dead in this world. Had they found each other at all? They were destined to be together, but in this world Usagi supposed they were. She tried to clear it from her mind, but she'd seen Endymion killed too many times and her memory replayed his pain over and over.

"You've all worked so hard to keep this world alive against Beryl and Metalia. Without your Princess, without your Prince, I… I'm sorry."

"How did you defeat them?" Venus asked.

"With the help of Tuxedo Mask, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus. Plus the Silver Crystal, but it's lost its power."

"How can that happen to the legendary Silver Crystal?" Artemis asked.

"I don't know. Something tells me none of this should have happened."

No one disagreed and instead kept moving. Usagi thought she nodded off at one point, but she didn't fall again. Either Jupiter was carrying her, or Usagi had learned to sleepwalk.

* * *

Usagi woke in a strange room, the window letting in pale pink dawn light. A heavy quilted comforter slid off her as she sat up. Outside, from three stories up, she could see the tops of fruit trees and bamboo. A series of decrepit buildings soared up, becoming the uneven skyline. Beryl and Metalia's reach would stay limited without the Silver Crystal, but their power had grown.

In the past, Usagi had believed in her strength, but now she was without everything that ever made her powerful. What was she without the crystal and her king? In a way, she'd lost everything, but she'd find a way to get it back. Luna said they'd help get her home.

Her stomach hurt to think of the senshi on this world fighting a battle they couldn't win. But it didn't matter, did it? She didn't belong here, she didn't have a say in what happened to this version of Earth. There were probably other versions where they were all dead, or where they never existed in the first place. She had to concentrate on getting back to where she belonged.

Movement out of the corner of her eye made Usagi jump. Haruka sat silently across the modest room in an upholstered chair the same color as the blue-gray walls. The dawn light wasn't enough to distinguish her entirely, but Usagi recognized the power rolling off her.

"Did they set their mercenary to guard me? Or guard from me?"

"The others already trust you. Michiru would never forgive me if I hurt you."

"But you could forgive yourself?"

"Perhaps we'll find out." Haruka stared out the window, then back at Usagi. "You said you fought with the others against Metalia. Where were we? Michiru and I, I mean."

"You two hadn't awakened yet. We didn't meet until a year later when Chaos sent another enemy into our lives. You didn't want us to interfere with you, but you couldn't stay away for long." Usagi smiled at the memory of crossing paths with Haruka again and again.

"Michiru and I are more powerful than the other senshi. We're the first line of defence against anything outside our solar system."

"I know, so thank you for helping against Metalia."

"Without our princess, there's no way to seal her."

"How far back do your memories go? Do you remember watching the Moon Kingdom?"

Haruka's face turned hard, lips pressing flat. "Yes. I saw Beryl orchestrate the prince's death. I stood alone in the castle of my planet and cried when you took your own life just before Saturn awakened to destroy us all. I knew that creature of the sun wouldn't be allowed to prevail, but somehow Metalia's seal was broken, and I have to live knowing you—the you that belongs with us—is dead." Haruka stood, clenched her fists, and walked out of the room.

Usagi stared at the closed door and let the silence sink in.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm not the one you wished for," Usagi said to herself and clasped her hands. Home. She had to return, no matter how much her heart ached.


	6. Chapter 6

Relieved, Haruka returned to the living room. Minako stretched across the couch, her head in Makoto's lap and her legs draped over Rei's. They made an attractive group. Haruka slid her hand along Michiru's back while she made tea in the miniscule kitchen, then continued to the two person breakfast table to sit across from Ami.

"Do you ever put that down?" Haruka stretched her neck.

"Not really," Ami smiled at her. "It helps me unwind to go over the information we've collected."

"What do your reports say now that a princess is here." A, not The—Haruka wouldn't let herself get too attached to the girl who'd be leaving them.

"Depends. Luna estimates Sailor Moon can tip the scales, but without a working Silver Crystal, I'm doubtful it's enough to defeat the enemy."

"If she's Queen, and as powerful as she says, why can't she use her power here?" Haruka accepted a chipped cup of green tea from Michiru and sipped. It was just hot enough to comfortably twinge without burning her mouth.

"Here, look at this." Ami spun her tablet around and let Haruka glance at the screen. It showed a graph of their world's spatial frequency, but each of the senshi as well as the enemy spiked the chart at a higher frequency. But there was a mark that clearly didn't belong.

"It drops," Haruka traced the line. "This is her, isn't it?"

Ami nodded. "I have no doubt she's from a different world than this. Her emissions are so different from ours, or our world's, it may be why her abilities are sporadic at best. Luna's compact gives Usagi a piece of this world to use, but otherwise…"

"She can't help us."

* * *

Usagi leaned against the wall next to the cracked door. Could she really not help them? She only reminded them of the princess they lost and the ruined world they must live in. Usagi's palmed itched to hold her staff, her crystal, and heal this world.

"I don't belong here," she whispered to herself, then pulled the door open and joined the others.

Her entrance made Minako sit up and the others stare. She'd put her buns back in, though she lacked the length to wear the tails. It felt more natural like this, but apparently not to them.

"I think it's best if we try to recreate the conditions that brought me here, hopefully I'll be sent home and stop causing you trouble. Luna," Usagi spotted the black cat sitting on an arm rest and went to her. "Thank you for lending me this."

Luna considered the brooch, then shook her head. "Keep it as a souvenir. No one here will be able to use it anyway."

A sharp pang in Usagi's heart made her want to cry, but she straightened her back and carried on. Gone were the days where she could cry over every little thing. As Queen, she had to embrace the power of unwavering strength, no matter the situation.

"Then thank you, again. I arrived here after attempting to travel to the Moon Kingdom with my Sailor Uranus. I left from Crystal Tokyo, but we created the island that made up the royal grounds, so the location doesn't exist here."

"What was the date when you left?" Ami asked.

"June first."

"Why were you traveling with Uranus?" Haruka crossed her legs and finished her cup of tea.

"Because I'd intended to travel alone." Usagi bunched her lips and sighed through her nose.

Haruka laughed, which broke the tension in the room. Usagi guessed if the mercenary was at ease, then everyone else could be, too.

"Do you have to go so soon?" Rei's gaze pierced Usagi's, the familiar intensity warm.

Usagi, however, flicked her attention to Haruka and Ami. "I don't think I'm helping here."

Ami turned red and looked away, but Haruka didn't flinch.

"In that case," Haruka stood and extended her hand. "Let's get you home."

"Wait," Usagi considered the senshi. "We're best friends in my world. All of us. Minako, you are the leader, just as you are here, and you, Rei, Makoto, and Ami are by my side in the castle. Michiru, you come and go as you like, but you tutor my daughter, the future Queen, and have shaped her into my perfect Small Lady. Pluto and Saturn have their duties as well, but Haruka, in my world you are insufferable."

Michiru snorted, then coughed. Everyone else looked unsure whether to mind their own business or laugh.

"Insufferable?" Haruka raised an eyebrow, her attitude flaring as she popped her hip to the side.

"Yes. You never do what I ask, you never refer to me with proper edicate, you always conspire with Michiru and Mamoru behind my back, and you're always too busy being a professional race car driver to spend time with me!"

"I think I'm in love with the other me." This time the others chuckled.

"And whenever official business brings you around, you make the most absurd suggestive comments. I'm the Queen! You can't… it's not…" Why did she have to start crying? She missed everyone so much, yet they were here in front of her as strangers. She'd missed her old life as one of the senshi, but never imagined having to start over entirely. Years of shared battles, both wins and losses, had galvanized their lives together. Now she was as easily cast off as an outsider—unwelcomed, unneeded.

"Usagi," Haruka's voice was soft and sweet. "You belong with the senshi no matter what, but it's our duty to get you home. We can't keep you, even if we'd like to. Take my hand."

This time Usagi didn't hesitate. With their grip solid, Usagi pulled out the Silver Crystal and felt the cold surface beneath her fingers. The others stood and said goodbye with silent nods.

Usagi sniffed. "Think of the Moon Kingdom as you remember it. Send your thoughts there and our bodies will follow." Usagi closed her eyes and pictured her pristine castle, the soft grey stones of the moon creating a glistening backdrop for her first home.

The pull of transportation yanked Usagi upward, disorienting her, as a spark of warmth trickled out from the crystal. She gripped tighter to Haruka. What if she landed somewhere new?

When the dizzying after effects faded, Usagi opened her eyes and let out a sob.

* * *

So this was what was left of the Moon Kingdom. Haruka looked around at the crumbling structure and rubble. Flashes of her past life overlayed the destruction. Once this had been a glorious castle that shone like a star. She used to watch over it from her planet and yearned to meet the Princess, but this princess wasn't really hers.

Usagi let out a gasping sob and Haruka spun to her. Usagi's eyes lost their focus and she shook.

"Usagi? Prin—Neo Queen Serenity, look at me!" Was the girl in shock? What happened?

"It… it didn't work. I forgot the castle wouldn't have been restored here." Usagi sank to her knees and Haruka followed her. "I can't get home, can I?"

"Ami's data is incomplete. I'd say you can't get home, yet, at best."

Usagi took a deep breath and settled. Haruka tried to calm the pounding of her own heart at seeing her so distressed, but it kept thumping. She licked her lips and briskly rubbed Usagi's upper arms to warm her up.

"Do you want to go back to Earth?"

"In a bit. There's something I'd like to get first." Although shaky, Usagi got to her feet and pushed out of Haruka's reach. It was oddly cold when Usagi moved away.

They walked to the center of a semi-collapsed dome. In an altar of stone was the hilt of a blade. Usagi braced herself, knees bent, back strong, then heaved upward on the handle.

It slid free like a key from a lock and Usagi careened back into Haruka.

"Sorry, that was a lot harder the first time."

"You're surprisingly heavy for being so small." Haruka pushed her off.

"Rude," Usagi glared, but then smiled. "I'm sorry for what I said down there. You aren't my Haruka, you don't deserve me taking out my frustrations on you."

Hadn't Haruka reminded herself of the same thing? Still, a part of her desperately wished this girl was her true princess. "It's all right, kitten." Haruka hesitated. "Does your Haruka really make suggestive comments?"

"Of course. She plans them with Michiru. You see she—you—have always been flirtatious with me, and Michiru has always been close with Mamo-chan." Usagi blushed, the pink kissing her cheeks like sakura blossoms in the spring.

Haruka wondered exactly how close "close" was, but couldn't think of a way to ask without implying more. It seemed her doppleganger led a charmed life; professional driver, royal teaser, and all in a time of peace. What wouldn't she give for a taste of that life?

"Are you ready to go back?"

In response, Usagi held out her hand. Haruka intertwine her fingers with hers, then squeezed. To her surprise, Usagi squeezed back.

* * *

They arrived perfectly back where Usagi aimed. Her senshi on this world jumped up, some eyeing the large stone sword, and others surprised in general.

"Well, that didn't work," Rei flicked her hair aside.

"Clearly," Makoto said, but then grinned. "Welcome back, Princess."

"Please call me Usagi. I'm not your princess or your queen here, just another senshi."

Haruka slid her fingers away from Usagi. "In that case, Queen, we should use you while we can."

Just like Haruka to zero in on the one aspect Usagi requested against. She rolled her eyes, but let it go.

"I don't know how to get back," Usagi admitted, her heart tripling in speed. Would she be here forever?

"I worried it wouldn't be so easy. Ami and I will keep working on it," Luna promised.

Usagi nodded, they drew herself up to her royal posture. "If I'm stuck here then I'm going to do everything I can to fight Beryl and seal Metalia." Would Crystal Tokyo survive without her? Would Small Lady's power blossom out of need and take over? Her pink crystal rivaled the Silver Crystal in power—she could reign. Usagi had to trust in her loved ones she'd left behind. They knew what was coming. They could face it without her.

"If you'll let me," Usaig continued. "I'd like to fight alongside you all." There was no point in lamenting over the life she'd had. All she could do was move forward.

Makoto threw a punch into her open palm. "Hell yes."

"Minako, this was yours in my world." Usagi held up the sword. "You used the Holy Sword to defend me, and kill Beryl. Maybe we can do that again here."

Minako took the blade, surprised by its weight. "I will do whatever I can to protect you, and this world."

"Ami," Luna hopped up onto the kitchen counter. "Fill everyone in on what we know."

"Beryl is controlled by Metalia, a creature from the sun. Previously sealed by Queen Serenity's use of the Silver Crystal. She's gathering energy to grow and consume the planet."

"What do we know of Metalia's kind?" Michiru leaned into Haruka.

"She's the only demon of the sun that we know of," Ami answered.

"That's not necessarily true. There were rumors of others who still reside on the sun," Luna said. "But that was a long time ago on the Moon Kingdom."

"If we can't seal her, can we destroy her?" Usagi asked. "In my time, it took all of my power to seal her away, and it nearly destroyed me."

"The Silver Crystal is the most powerful thing in the solar system. If it couldn't destroy her, then nothing will." Minako, who set the sword against the wall, rustled through the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a bag of chips. Usagi's stomach grumbled.

"Then we look for something outside of the solar system. The Starlights perhaps."

"The what?" Artemis raised an eyebrow.

Usagi massaged her temple. "Right, you wouldn't know them and Galaxia wouldn't have threatened their home without Chaos's push. Nevermind." The other enemies wouldn't have awakened either. Not with Metalia still in control. Chaos would have no reason to fester with Usagi dead here. All the multiples and alternate histories were giving Usagi a headache. She questioned if she had the energy for this kind of battle. Speaking of, They needed to cut off Metalia's access to energy.

"That's it." Usagi flicked her head up. "Metalia and Beryl are still afraid of me. Of the Princess I mean. She's the only one who can end this. We can use me as bait to draw out Beryl. If I can purify her, it will cut off Metalia's access to energy. I have enough power for that, I'm sure of it."

"Are you kidding?" Haruka shook her head.

"I'm with Haruka. It's too big of a risk." Minako popped a chip in her mouth.

"Strange. You agreed with me. Usually it's just Makoto and Michiru on my side." Haruka smiled.

"Yes well, there's bigger concerns now." Minako fluttered her fingers dismissively.

"I think I remember," Michiru ran her thumb over her lip, lost in thought. She squeezed her eyes closed. "I saw a conversation from the Queen. I… I used to watch from my planet." Michiru's eyes opened, clarity softening her features. "I was small, only but a child, and the Princess had just been born. The Queen was recording a message for a sun emissary. Was she trying to negotiate diplomatically?"

"It's possible. The Queen was fair and just, she would work for peace before anything else," Luna agreed.

Usagi, tired of standing, plopped on the nearby chair with a humph. This could take a while.

* * *

They discussed options for hours. Ideas to seal, destroy, redirect, banish, anything they could do to Metalia to save their world from her darkness.

"Luna, do you think Pluto could send her to a different time?" Usagi had asked at one point.

"Pluto is not a regular guardian. She has a duty completely unique and out of our reach," Luna had replied.

Usagi had chosen not to respond. She knew they'd need Pluto before the end, but the other senshi seemed afraid of Pluto. She had been, too, at first, though it didn't help Pluto had attacked Usagi for traveling through time. If only she had one of those keys now, she could go back and save her own life. Kind of. Her head hurt again.

When exhaustion crept up to Usagi's eyes, Haruka and Michiru went out to patrol the area. Usagi and her inner senshi kept talking, but it dissolved into questions about their lives on Usagi's world. She couldn't fault them for wanting to know about their alternate selves, so Usagi told them and watched the time crawl by.

Waiting was the worst. Waiting, and knowing they'd disapprove, but Usagi didn't have to explain herself, or ask for permission. She didn't belong on this world anyway, and if she could reset it, she would.

Rei was the last awake, so Usagi excused herself to bed. Haruka and Michiru weren't back yet, which meant Usagi would have a very small window to work in.

Usagi tiptoed out and checked on Rei, who'd curled up on the couch, a threadbare blanket pulled up to her chin. Ami stretched on the floor, Luna curled against her side. Makoto and Minako had taken another room down the hall and Usagi began to wonder if she'd slept in Haruka and Michiru's room last night. Assured the apartment was silent, Usagi shut the door to her room, drew the curtains, and transformed.

The electrifying power coarsed over her skin like waves of sunlight, and reversed her fatigue. It was reminiscent of bathing in the light from the Silver Crystal, but with a rush of adrenaline. Silently, Usagi drew open the window. The distant hazy light from Tokyo shone through the oppressive cloud of Beryl's reign.

The others didn't know her, they didn't know her past and her power, but Usagi had no doubt she could purify Beryl and cut off Metalia's connection, and she'd do it with or without their help. Perched on the ledge of the window, Usagi launched herself into the air and felt the thrill of soaring.


	7. Chapter 7

Minako curled on her side. Something cold and rough brushed her fingers and she startled awake only to find the sword reassuring at her side. Such an odd material, both stone and metal, and something more. It was laced with a power that seemed to hum. The hilt fit perfectly in her hand and the steady thrum of magic lulled her back to sleep.

"Minako, Makoto, get up."

Minako shot upright, gripping the Holy Sword. "What is it?"

Michiru was silhouetted in the door, but Minako could see the senshi uniform.

"There's trouble. Transform. The Princess needs us." Neptune spun away just as Makoto flicked out her transformation pen.

"Let's go." Minako kept the sword close and called out to her mother planet. The other Tokyo's Queen could become theirs, too, and Minako would do whatever she could to keep her safe.

* * *

Sailor Moon flew through dark, weightless and ready. No movement met her, no opposition, just her and the night air. She was _free_.

After her coronation, Usagi, as Neo-Queen Serenity, shut herself inside to rest through the pregnancy. After Small Lady was born, Usagi stayed in the palace. First, it was to raise her daughter, but over time it became for her own protection. She never knew the first few years of future Neo-Queen Serenity's reign were awash with rebellion, opposition, and strain. Now that future was hers. The stress faded the blonde from Usagi's hair, drained her carefree nature, and cured her of her whining. In those first years Usagi had to grow up—or fail.

The people came to love her, but not until they experienced the effects of the Silver Crystal on their health. Usagi learned one thing through all of that: it was her job to protect even those too stubborn to accept it.

She would keep these senshi safe. If she was never going to return to Mamo-chan and her family, then she could at least help heal this world.

Rustling followed her as she descended into the trees. With Usagi's attention behind, she didn't sense the barrier until she hit it. Dark lightning cracked over her and shot her back. It stung, but had little effect on her strength or power. Luckily her landing was soft and nothing broke.

"Idiot."

Usagi jumped up with a squeak. Again, she managed to flatten Uranus. "So you _were_ following me."

Uranus heaved up and brushed off some dirt. "Did you expect me to let you rush into the enemy without us?"

"Us? You woke the others?"

Uranus rolled her eyes. "You're the only Princess we've got."

"Queen."

"Kitten."

Usagi crossed her arms, making Uranus smile. "Then you better hope they get here soon." Usagi spun away and whipped out the crescent wand. Even without the crystal, the blast of white light rippled across the barrier and splintered the shield.

"No, wait!"

Before Usagi could break through, a burst of energy knocked her aside. No soft landing this time, and Usagi felt the scrape of stones and branches tear up her side.

Nephrite and Jadeite appeared, encroaching on either side, closing the distance to Usagi.

"World shaking!" The blast of energy forced Jadeite back. Usagi leaped to her feet and aimed the crescent wand.

"Nephrite, this isn't you. Don't make me do this again."

"Ah, such a precious baby-senshi. We didn't think there were more of you to find." He drew back his arm. Usagi hesitated. It cost her.

The snap of dark power whipped across her jaw like a physical blow. She tasted blood. The air clanged behind her, and Usagi glimpsed Uranus's sword. She couldn't afford to hesitate. This world was already suffering too much.

Her arms shook as she held out the crescent wand. "I'm sorry. Moon Healing, Escalation!" The light, so bright it hurt, enveloped Nephrite. She saw the moment recognition and understanding lit his eyes, but then his form collapsed into a stone. Moving quickly, Usagi grabbed and pocketed the rock, then turned to help Uranus.

"I thought you and your partner were more powerful than this?" Jadeite mocked and Uranus bristled. The wear of battle had her breathing hard, but Usagi knew she was far from done.

In her world, Uranus would have destroyed Jadeite without thinking, but Jadeite was more powerful here, and Uranus weaker. Without the Silver Crystal, they all suffered. Usagi would end that. She swore it.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" She didn't give Uranus a chance to move, and Uranus was blown harmlessly back form the release of light. It washed over Jadeite, and then through him as he, too, collapsed down into a milky green stone. Usagi collected him.

"They were Endymion's bodyguards and council. Trusted friends who were turned by the Dark Kingdom. But there's… there's no Mamoru here for them." In another time Usagi would have cried for their loss, for her own loss, but instead she felt a weight settle on her shoulders.

They'd all been so happy once.

"Kitten." Uranus's gloved fingers traced Usagi's cheek.

Usagi looked into Haruka's steely eyes. "I can never go back." She'd never see any of them again. She would forever live with versions of her friends and loved ones that weren't hers. Somehow she knew, _knew_ , there was no way to return, not without the Silver Crystal. The last shard of hope shattered and broke a piece of Usagi with it. "What is the point of surviving when you're all alone?"

Warmth. A gentle breeze. The smell of summer.

* * *

Haruka felt Sailor Moon's mood shift before she could see the signs. Her aura dipped dangerously low. Yet from the outside, Sailor Moon calmly contemplated the matching stones in her palm.

"...no Mamoru here for them," Usagi said almost too quiet to catch.

There was that name again. Shivers ran down Haruka's spine, and a sick feeling twisted her stomach. She had to tell her.

"Kitten." Haruka wished she'd taken her gloves off to feel the Queen's skin. Would it be warm?

"I can never go back."

Haruka froze. Sailor Moon's eyes lost clarity. She stood too stiff, too tight, and Haruka felt her tremble.

"What's the point of surviving when you're all alone?" Usagi asked.

Haruka saw a flash of her Princess from long ago, dead at her own hand. Haruka's grip changed, fingers soft under Usagi's chin. She would let nothing happen to this queen— _her_ Queen. She kissed her.

The wind stirred at Haruka's will, heat from the south flitting over them. When Usagi's lips pressed back into Haruka's something changed. This woman was their destiny. All of theirs. Haruka wrapped a hand around the small of Sailor Moon's back and savored the taste of her lips.

Gently, Sailor Moon pushed back and wiped a tear with an embarrassed laugh. "You do know I'm married."

Haruka didn't remove her hands. "And what, you think Michiru is just a roommate?"

Usagi chuckled. The wind warned Haruka of movement from in the trees. Haruka withdrew. At least she'd made her smile, but she had the feeling the kiss meant more to her than it did to Usagi.

"Haruka," Sailor Moon set her hands against Haruka's torso, her fingers gripping the senshi suit. "I have a destiny, one that you cannot follow me to."

Sailor Moon rammed into Haruka with more power than she expected. Haruka fell back, landing hard in the scuffed dirt.

"Sailor Moon. No!" Haruka jerked upright, but Sailor Moon had already broken the dark shield and run through. Haruka took off, her steps light as she sprinted for the opening.

"You always have a soft spot for the pretty ones," Neptune's voice was winded as she raced alongside Uranus—the only one who could match her speed. Out of Uranus's peripheral she noticed the other senshi struggling to catch up.

"She's going to do something stupid, I know it." Uranus broke through the wall as it healed. Black bolts of lightning zinged at her skin. Neptune followed, a muted cry at the pain. Uranus paused long enough to watch the others burst through just before the hole mended completely. Jupiter alone was unaffected by the charge, but Mercury nearly collapsed.

Venus stepped up, the Holy Sword in hand. "Why would she go off alone?"

"She doesn't think she belongs with us," Mars answered, a faraway look in her eyes. The priestess was off putting when she used her perceptive powers. There was something dark and hard about her visions, unlike Michiru's soft and fluid readings from her mirror.

"She belongs with senshi, no matter what." An edge crept into Haruka's voice and Neptune rest her hand along Haruka's forearm. The light squeeze was all Haruka needed to calm. Without another word, Haruka dashed off in the direction of her Queen. The others tried to keep up, but even Neptune was left behind.

* * *

Light dimmed and died altogether as Usagi approached the center of the enemy's territory. There were no sentries, no alarms, no traps. Just silence and darkness consuming all of her hope. All she had to do was separate Metalia and Beryl. Now that Venus had the sword, they had a way to destroy Beryl even if Usagi didn't survive.

A noise, muted at first, but it grew to the soft chuckling that haunted Usagi's memories. This was the woman who killed her Mamo-chan. _No_ _ **,**_ she reminded herself, _not mine. Theirs._

"The new senshi thinks she can take me. So brave for one so young." Beryl stepped forward, softly illuminated by a red glow surrounding her.

"Your minions thought the same thing." Usagi held up the stones. Beryl hissed, her hair wriggling behind her like snakes. Then she grew in size. That was new.

Usagi gulped and stashed the stones. This Beryl had had twenty years to collect power, Usagi couldn't risk underestimating her.

She held her cresent want high and called out, triggering a ruthless beam of light. Beryl disappeared, then reappeared beside her. The long strands of Beryl's living hair whipped out and wrapped around Usagi's neck.

Usagi clawed against the strain, unable to breathe. Then she remembered—the tiara! Usagi released her grip, snagged the tiara and lit it up. The hot metal sliced through Beryl's hair and Usagi dropped to her knees.

Knife-like nails ripped across Usagi's shoulders. She arched back and screamed.

"Baby senshi, you have so much to learn." Beryl pointed a finger at Usagi's chest. A condensed point of bubbling black energy formed. Then released in a shattering boom that cleared the area of dark aura and sent Usagi flying. She slammed into the ground. Her ribs creaked and wouldn't expand enough for a full breath.

Too long Usagi had only been a Queen. What if she wasn't meant to fight anymore?

Beryl appeared before her again. Usagi held the crescent wand behind her back and waited.

"What good is it to kill me? You've won." Usagi baited.

"Not quite." Beryl grinned. "You see, I'm missing something if I'm to spread across the planet."

"But you have what you want."

She laughed. "No," Beryl went on. "I only wanted my prince, but your senshi took him from me." Beryl picked Usagi up by her neck, there was just enough pressure for her to breathe. "So I've given myself to my dark Queen Metalia."

Usagi flipped the crescent wand and lit it up. Both she and Beryl were consumed by the light. The flash was so brilliant that Usagi saw images of long forgotten moments. Staring at the sun as a child, feeling it kiss her forehead. Being wrapped in her mother's arms. The scorching agony of a blade through her heart.

The light faded. Usagi was alone. A smoking black pit sunk in front of her.

Metalia would be severely weakened without Beryl. She'd done it. Even without the Silver Crystal, Usagi had found the power needed to destroy her. She could be both a Queen and a senshi!

"Sailor Moon!" Venus screamed.

Usagi spun. Sudden pain and heat filled her. Blood spilled from her stomach, flowing hot over her hands. A hazy shadow reshaped, and then Beryl stood over her, a solid shard of black power reaching from her hand into Usagi's torso.

"You can't destroy me," Beryl's voice slipped into the magnified reverberations of Metalia. They'd fused. She needed the Silver Crystal. Yet, even as she bled out, there was no response.

Usagi could hear the other senshi approach.

"Poor child. I'll make sure your friends join you soon." Beryl ripped out the blade and Usagi staggered back.

Her senshi. She's led them to their deaths. Even combined, they didn't have the power to take down Metalia. Without the crystal, Usagi wasn't a senshi, she wasn't a queen, she was nothing.

Usagi released her stomach and stared at her blood stained gloves. What good was she? Another scream from her senshi. Her skin came alive with goosebumps as Haruka's strained voice broke. She could see them now, hovering, unable to get closer with Beryl right there.

It didn't matter what their pasts were, these were the same senshi Usagi had known throughout all her lives. They were destined to find each other again and again. She couldn't let this be the final time. They needed her. Usagi begged to save them, but her mouth only formed soundless words.

The clouds shifted and a stream of sunlight fell down through the ash. It touched on Usagi like a cascade of warm water. There was something reassuring about having her final moments be cradled in light.

But with the warmth came new strength. Usagi absorbed the light and started to glow.


	8. Chapter 8

Sailor Moon was too bright for Rei to look at. The light burned against her skin. These weren't flames, but something more. Her vision skipped, showing her a creature of undulating plasma, arcing like a solar flare.

She blinked. The light from Sailor Moon faded enough to see her once again, except she was no longer Sailor Moon.

The Princess—no, Queen—was healed, but no longer in a senshi suit. A cape swelled behind her, billowing in a breeze Rei couldn't feel. The Queen's hair flew behind her in extensive silver-gold locks, only partially contained by the two buns atop her head. The cape waved and snapped side to side and it made tears spring to Rei's eyes to see a glimmer of the woman she'd protected in another life. This was who she was meant to serve. This was the woman she would both adore and depend upon.

Rei fell to her knees.

* * *

Everyone was stunned by the sudden transformation. Even Beryl looked surprised and retreated a step. She looked unsure and wary. Smart creature.

As the light from Sailor Moon softened, Haruka's breath caught. The woman now standing where the girl had been was lovely and regal. She held a full length staff in her hand, but she remained with her eyes closed, as if unaware anything had changed. All but Neptune and Haruka knelt. Haruka wanted to face her Queen with a raised chin and tall spine.

The staff was white and topped with a winged orb, and Beryl's attention snagged on it without mercy.

"It's not possible," Beryl's gravelly voice held a note of panic.

Then Sailor Moon—the Queen—turned her back on the enemy and faced the senshi. Something was wrong with her eyes. They'd turned silver-grey and lost all awareness.

"No," Beryl snarled and sent out a wave of dark lightning. Without looking, Haruka's Queen absorbed it into her staff.

"Sphalerite, you can't do this to me!" Beryl hit the Queen again, but all the energy sucked into the staff and started to release more of the hot golden light. Beryl threw a solidified dark dagger, but then the crescent moon on the Queen's forehead glimmered as she spun, catching the dark blade and crushing it into shimmering shards of light.

Haruka couldn't be sure, because when the Queen turned back to them her forehead was marked with the moon again, but for a flickering instant it had looked like a starburst.

* * *

Minako returned to her feet, her chain coiled in one hand, the blade in the other, ready to move against Beryl, but when their Queen reduced Beryl's attacks into nothing more than sparks, she eased.

"The Silver Millennium." Beryl stilled, but continued to talk to the Queen's back. The Queen raised the staff and let the warm light spread over all the senshi. "My kin have betrayed me," Beryl's voice changed and a jagged black diamond glowed on her forehead. Her eyes turned red and her voice rose into the shrill caw of Metalia. "You are not just a child of the moon."

It was hard to see. Their Queen's power overwhelmed them. Even Minako's skin itched and burned, and the air felt like broiling steam. She wasn't sure how much more she could stand.

Then all thought of her discomfort disappeared as Beryl said, "You're a child of Solis."

* * *

Power. So much boiling power. Usagi wasn't in control. She could barely see. Her hand had snapped out on it's own and released a slick gaseous substance, disintegrating the shard of darkness.

She felt herself lifting the staff. Why was her back to Beryl? She needed to destroy that evil witch. To fight!

Usagi reclaimed her body and spun, dropping the staff towards the enemy. Her anger spiked at seeing Metalia's mark. The same arcing gas flew out from Usagi's hands and staff. Brilliant neon pinks and blues colored the edges. The force was unforgiving. Usagi felt her hand burn with the power.

It hit Beryl. She didn't even try to dodge. It melted through her core, through her chest, and then her eyes. Flesh dripped from the wounds, liquified. Usagi froze, shocked.

Two stones sat in the viscera. Usagi willed them to her hand. Then the light enveloped her. At least she'd done one thing to help this world.

Usagi's light consumed them all.

* * *

Haruka was blind. Panic set in, her heart screaming to move—to run. But the wind settled across her skin, soothing down the adrenaline. She blinked several times and found she and the others had returned to her apartment.

"Where is she?" Haruka spun, paused on Neptune, and then kept looking.

Venus stumbled forward, knocked against a side table, and joined Haruka. Mars recovered and started searching, too. They scattered across the apartment.

"Queen? Queen! USAGI!"

"Here!" Mars called out. Haruka and the others converged on Mars's voice, but it was echoing from outside the master bedroom window.

"Up here."

Haruka darted outside and up. On the roof, she saw Mars hovering over a prone form. The Queen had returned to the child with shorn hair Haruka had first tried to kill, wearing the same torn tights and oversized sweater. Haruka would have sworn there was a passed out teenager on the roof. This woman, this Queen in a girl's body, was something entirely different than any of them.

"Is she…" Venus didn't finish.

"She's unconscious, but breathing," Mars answered and touched her brooch. Her transformation shimmered away, leaving Rei in tight capri pants and a loose top. Venus returned to her civilian ripped jeans and t-shirt. Mercury and Jupiter followed their lead and detransformed to their modest long dress and athletic wear, respectively.

When Neptune released her transformation as well, Haruka raised an eyebrow at her.

"We don't know what that was. Did you see what she did? It might not be safe."

Michiru wrapped her arms around Haruka and coiled into her side. "Something tells me if she wanted to hurt us, she would have done so back there."

Haruka knew she was right, knew that the Usagi she'd kissed was the same girl who lay before her now, but the image was burned into her mind. The Queen's eyes had sharpened with awareness, then she'd unleashed at Beryl. The burning substance that ripped through the sky left the smell of ozone, and wherever it hit Beryl it had pureed her flesh, bone, and organs. She'd melted, spilling vivid red down to the ground, illuminated by the harsh light of the Queen's growing power. What was she?

"Sphalerite." Michiru murmured. That name meant something.

"Did you hear her at the end? 'A child of Solis,' Michiru…" Haruka couldn't bring herself to say it. Was their Queen truely from the sun? Yet, the crescent marked her as a child of the moon.

Haruka let go of her transformation and stood in a suit jacket and fitted skirt, the collar of her undershirt pressing too high into her throat. She undid a button.

Ami tapped away on her tablet again, an intense focus to her eyes. "We need to speak with Luna and Artemis."

Makoto joined Rei on the ground. "Help me get her inside." They reached under the girl and shifted her upright. Something fell to the ground, pieces clattering like pebbles.

Minako picked up the two largest chunks. "Her brooch... It's shattered."

A silent moment pressed around them.

 _What are you?_

* * *

The light was relentless and Usagi spun away from it, burying her head in the soft pillow. She expected any minute her mother would yell at her for being late. Just a few more minutes…

Usagi's eyes snapped open. That part of her life had ended decades ago. She was Queen. No longer could she roll over and shirk her responsibilities.

Then Usagi sat up and remembered that she was wrong, yet again. This new world was nothing like the one she'd come from. Flashes of the day before jarred Usagi as she saw Beryl melting at the end of a staff Usagi had never before wielded. The gaseous power that blasted from her, what had that been?

She looked at her hands, the same long fingers and wedding band. Nothing had changed, so why did she feel different? Something tickled her memory, something foreboding and heavy that she couldn't grasp.

 _Enough_. With a grumble, Usagi extracted herself from the delightfully warm bed and wandered towards the living room. Most of the senshi were there, nibbling on small servings of rice and cups of tea. Most noticeably missing was Haruka and Michiru. Since this was their apartment, Usagi was concerned.

"Good morning," Usagi said and poured herself a cup of tea. She looked up when no one answered. "Is everyone okay?" Usagi remembered the flash of light bringing them all back here, remembered Beryl dying. Shouldn't they be celebrating?

Makoto cleared her throat. "Queen, do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"Of course."

"Do you remember what Beryl, or rather Metalia said through Beryl?" Ami set down her tea and watched Usagi. She didn't even inch towards her tablet, making Usagi nervous.

"No, but she's gone."

The senshi shared a look. Minako stepped towards Usagi and pulled out Usagi's brooch. It had been sheared in two and cracked in pieces.

Usagi took it, fitting the halves together even though she knew it would do no good. "The power of the Silver Crystal has broken brooches before. Is this what you're worried about?"

The door to the apartment opened, making Usagi jump. Haruka and Michiru strolled in with Luna.

"Queen," Rei glanced at Luna and back. "We don't think that power came from the Silver Crystal."

"It's the only source of my power. I know you've never seen it, but I've healed entire cities, destroyed the darkest of evils, all with this." Usagi held it out, the glimmer of the crystal in the sun sending mini rainbows across the room. But as beautiful as the stone was, it felt lifeless.

"It must have activated to save me. Like when Haruka tried to kill me." Usagi glanced at Haruka, but she turned away.

"What does the name Sphalerite mean to you?" Luna asked and took a seat by Artemis.

Usagi swallowed her impatience, a long earned skill sitting through royal meetings. "Should it mean anything?"

"Metalia cursed Sphalerite and called you a child of Solis. Of the sun." Haruka finished.

"I'm a child of the Silver Millennium, the Moon Kingdom, and the only daughter of Queen Serenity." Usagi slipped into her royal cadence. Only Haruka and Michiru met her gaze.

"What about your paternal lineage?" Michiru went to the kitchen for tea as if this were a conversation as interesting as the weather.

"I…" Usagi closed her mouth. She'd wondered the same thing the day she came to this world. She'd wanted to know about where she'd come from, her time as a child, and who her father had been. Then somehow she'd ended up here, instead of where she could learn about herself. "You think Sphalerite might be..."

Luna nodded. "Ami scanned the power you used. It was plasma, the same in solar flares, and just as deadly. The energy is so extreme that you separated Beryl's atoms, and you controlled it. You disintegrated Beryl with one hit."

Usagi's knees gave out and she landed on a stool that hadn't been there a moment before. The fresh inviting smell of summer wind lingered as she tried to control her breathing. "That's not my power."

"It is," Haruka's voice came from directly behind Usagi. "And without your crystal, if you want to defeat Metalia you'll have to use it again."

"Defeat her? But I thought I—"

"You destroyed Beryl, and maybe some of Metalia's power, but she's gathering more. Look," Rei said and moved aside the curtain. More light infused the room and Usagi looked out over the city. The forest of trees had shriveled up, each massive trunk like a wilted flower. Many crumbled down, and near the center of Toyko a dark barrier, denser and wider than what Usagi had fought through yesterday, obscured their view.

"I only destroyed the puppet." Usagi pressed her hand to her brow.

"Which is more than we've been able to do," Minako assured her.

Usagi cradled the Silver Crystal and turned it over and over. "It doesn't work because it's not a part of this world. I overhead Ami explain I'm different than all of you. If my crystal isn't attune to this world then it's useless." Usagi squared her shoulders. "If I can learn how, I'll use the other power to wipe out Metalia."

But the real question was: how?


	9. Chapter 9

"What were you feeling just before you accessed your sun abilities?" Ami asked.

Usagi lay her head back on the couch and sighed. "A lot of pain."

"That's what made her light up the first time, too." Haruka reminded them.

"Thanks, but I don't want to be stabbed every time I need power."

"But if it works…" Haruka materialized her sword and shrugged.

"Ha. Ha. No." Usagi bunched her lips to the left. "Luna, do you think it's possible for me to travel to the sun?"

"I'm not sure a senshi's natural shield could protect against fusion," Luna answered.

"But if I'm part sun, maybe I have immunity?"

"The solar radiation alone would kill you if the heat didn't literally cook you," Ami said.

Usagi threw up her hands. "How am I supposed to learn if I can't contact that Spheral guy?"

"How did you learn the Silver Crystal?" Michiru filed her nailed while they all spoke.

"It was part of me and reacted to the strength of my conviction," Usagi recited. She was getting more and more comfortable with these senshi, which was good since she was stuck with them. "Honestly, I may never have found the crystal or understood it without Mamoru."

Usagi didn't miss the tension in the room. A memory of Beryl's voice rang through her mind. _"...your senshi took him from me."_

"What… what happened to him?" She had to know. "Beryl said he was taken from her, by you." Usagi scanned them all, but everyone looked away except Haruka.

"What does it matter? Him and our princess are gone. There's nothing we can do to change that."

Usagi worried her lip. "You don't want to tell me."

"No, I don't." Haruka slid her fingers through her hair, raking it off to the side. Usagi waited, letting the silence stretch out uncomfortably.

"I killed him," Haruka wouldn't look at her. It felt like time stopped. Haruka, her Haruka, killed Mamo-chan. "Beryl had turned him, corrupted his heart. He was working for her. He was killing for her."

Usagi felt the tears and couldn't swallow them down. In a rush, Usagi was on her feet with no memory of having moved. A buzzing tingle flowed down her skin. Goosebumps made the hair on her neck stand up. They'd killed him. Haruka had killed her king.

"Queen, please. You have to understand." Luna darted out.

"I understand. You had to protect yourselves." A flash of rage closed Usagi's throat and she slammed her eyes shut. It wasn't their fault. They didn't mean to betray her, to betray the Moon Kingdom. Even as she tried to convince herself, the buried fear blossomed. She was alone in a crowd of people who only looked like her friends.

"Usagi," Haruka's voice was so sad, but did little to abate Usagi's emotions. "I'm sorry."

"Excuse me." Usagi walked towards the back bedroom, her royal composure the only thing holding her together. All eyes followed her as she left. A tingling across her skin started to itch and burn. She shut the door behind her, but the room felt too small. She couldn't breathe. The window was open, and she climbed out and onto the roof. The night opened up, but the new moon was invisible in the dark. Countless stars winked down at her. Usagi felt like they were calling to her, but the depth of space was so vast it was like she'd be swallowed whole if she didn't keep her feet planted on the ground. Then again, what was the point of staying grounded in this world?

How could she be expected to fix this place?

This world was lost.

Liquid fire erupted across her skin, neon blue glowing at the edges. Usagi screamed as the gaseous substance enveloped her, burned her. The city cracked black lightning in response. It felt like Metalia had turned to look directly at her. Darkness swarmed and the earth shook.

Fire scorched Usagi, but it seemed to come _from_ her.

The voices of her senshi called out. Usagi tried to call back. Black energy swarmed them. She couldn't break through the plasma. Her senshi sounded panicked. Usagi couldn't move. The fire covered her eyes. She cowered against the pain and light.

Something pressed against her, surrounding her. It stole her breath and whipped at her hair. The heat became too much and peaked. Then, suddenly, it stopped.

* * *

Usagi stood flushed and sweating in the cool night air. It was too cold. She inhaled and felt like ice pierced her lungs. Slowly she uncoiled from her crouch, testing her muscles. Nothing burned anymore and the sheen of cool sweat made her shiver. Metalia's dark malice had disappeared. Were the senshi safe?

Once convinced she wouldn't combust again, Usagi looked for them, but she was alone. Then she did a double take. The skyline was different. Achingly different and painfully familiar. Usagi covered her mouth, afraid the slightest hope would change what she saw.

Crystal Tokyo, in all its glory, shone like a diamond. The spires reached up to touch the moonless night. Usagi grasped at the crystal around her throat, snagging the chain and tugging it off. Immediately the warmth from inside responded to her call. The Silver Crystal illuminated, and so did the palace. The pulse of power blossomed and the crystal opened, the lotus glimmering in the night like a caress.

The power, soft as moonlight, washed over her skin erasing the string from the fire. It swept away her clothes, replacing them with her gown. She knew her crescent mark returned as well. Tilting her head back, she let her hair regrow, the silver-gold length spilling out freely. Even her crown's familiar weight settled upon her.

Her light spread, shining out so far and bright it seemed a midday sun had appeared. Usagi closed her eyes and trusted the resonance between her crystal and her palace. The warmth whisked her away, and when she glanced out, she had landed in the largest chamber of the palace, centered under the main spire.

A blinding pulse of light beamed out as they were reunited, and then faded out to no more than twilight. A door slammed. Footsteps pounded down the halls. She could feel them come.

Mars arrived first, her fiery bow and arrow at the ready, but as soon as she saw Usagi, she let out a cry and her fire faded. Against conduct, Mars ran to Usagi and wrapped her in a crushing hug.

The palace hummed with power and a rainbow of light as more familiar arms gripped onto Usagi from all angles.

"Mama!" Small Lady's little steps turned rapid and the senshi parted to let Usagi kneel and sweep up her daughter. They cried together, the weight of Small Lady in her arms so natural and right.

Then Mamoru filled her vision, his strong arms and solid chest blinding Usagi to all else.

"We searched everywhere, but you disappeared. Gone. We thought maybe you'd been pulled out of time, but Pluto couldn't sense you. None of us could." Mamoru kissed her, a hint of panic and relief on his lips.

"I don't know what happened. I'm not sure how I got back, but I have so much to tell you. All of you." Usagi set Small Lady down, but kept their hands clasped. "Where are Haruka and the others?"

"I'll send for them." Mamoru kissed her temple, then strolled away with his lavender cloak billowing behind. She was home. Finally, blissfully, she'd made it back. It didn't matter how she'd returned, or why, but this was where she belonged.

Yet at the back of her mind, an emptiness nagged, a weight that made her pause. She was home and safe, but the world she'd left was under attack. She'd exposed them, and then disappeared.

* * *

An hour later, Usagi sat on her rarely used throne with Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus before her and the King beside her. They waited for the others. When Usagi had disappeared, Neptune had gone into isolation to commune with her mirror, while Haruka had disappeared to search alone after returning without the Queen. Pluto had guarded time, and Saturn had gone to her planet to see through the realm of death for Usagi's spirit. All of them had been recalled.

Uranus threw open the chamber doors and ignored all the protocols, running straight to Usagi. Usagi stood to greet her, but then Uranus's cool demeanor snapped.

"You let go!" Uranus's voice broke.

"Haruka." Usagi tried to keep her expression impassive.

"You let go of me, you disappeared. Do you have any idea how terrified we've all been?"

"You shouldn't speak to the Queen like that," Luna reminded her. Usagi grinned, she couldn't help it. She knew this Haruka, and this one didn't take well to orders.

"I'll change how I speak when she acts like a Queen," Haruka almost growled at Luna.

"Haruka." Usagi tried again and took Haruka's hands in her own. When they faced each other, Usagi pulled her in for a gentle kiss. It broke the tension. Then Haruka deepened the kiss and Usagi laughed, breaking their connection. "You really are the same no matter what."

The others, although not surprised by their flirtations, were stunned Usagi initiated a kiss. She started to explain, but then then Neptune strolled in, saw Usagi and Haruka mid-embrace and smirked.

"Oh my, seems I've missed something fun again."

"Me too," Mamo-chan looked surprised.

"The others?" Usagi smoothed her dress and tried to hide her warming cheeks.

"On their way. Pluto is with Small Lady, but will come when Saturn arrives."

It took another five minutes before Saturn's lithe body graced the room. She'd kept her hair short through the years, but her body had finally finished growing. The stress of being reborn at different stages had stunted her growth, but now she was as tall as Rei. Pluto came in just after her and left Small Lady outside while she closed the doors.

"Queen," Saturn knelt with Pluto, then stood. "What happened? The palace has been in a state of emergency since you left. We kept it quiet from the citizens, but the power of the Silver Crystal disappeared with you. We've been vulnerable.

"I'm sorry." Usagi dismissed Uranus, but she refused to move. Neptune stepped up as well, taking a vigil next to the King.

"I tried to go to the Moon Kingdom, but something happened and I was knocked into another world. Another version of _our_ world. One where Mamo-chan and I were dead, but all of you kept fighting." Usagi explained Metalia and Beryl's control, how the dark powers had transformed and destroyed most of Tokyo. How V had led a resistance, and how only Neptune and Uranus had joined the inner senshi to fight. But when it came time to explain about her battle with Beryl, she lost her courage.

"Neo-Queen Serenity, you can tell us anything." Setsuna's rich voice took some chill off the room as tension mounted.

"I was stabbed, and as I bled out, a new power came to me. Something that shouldn't have been possible." Usagi clasped her hands together to stop them shaking. Mamoru placed a hand on her shoulder. "In our first lives, my father was of Metalia's kin. I manifested the sun's plasma and liquified Beryl, freeing Metalia."

Freeing her to take over a world that Usagi had now abandoned. It wasn't this world, but it had still become _her_ world. She'd been ready to sacrifice her life for them, and they for her.

Usagi looked deeply into Mamoru's eyes, then focused on each of her senshi in turn.

"I need to return and destroy Metalia."


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you kidding me?" Haruka scoffed. "You finally returned and you want to go back?"

"They need me. Crystal Tokyo is protected and safe. They have nothing," Usagi argued, then wondered why she was arguing at all. She was Queen, if she wanted to do something, she was going to do it. At least, if she could figure out how.

"Serenity, be reasonable. We need you here." The King squeezed her shoulder, but Usagi shrugged it off and stood, pulling her shoulders back and her head up. The others shrank with respect.

"If the city needs the crystal to survive, then I'll leave it behind, but I can't abandon them. Not again. Ami, please search through the old Moon Kingdom archives for information on creatures from the sun, especially any named Sphalerite."

"That would be your father?" Mercury clarified.

"Yes, I think so. I also need you to review the sun's activities on both the day I disappeared and today. Michiru, Mamo-chan, please assist her."

Neptune laced her arm through the King's and turned him towards the systems room.

"Wait," the King paused. "You can't go to a dangerous world alone."

"I wasn't alone. Not really." She didn't want to explain anymore and instead beckoned Saturn and Pluto to follow. Venus stepped up, but Usagi stopped her. "V-babe, please check with the people. Make sure there's no unrest or lingering effects of the crystal being off world."

"Yes, Queen."

"Take Makoto and Rei. I need to speak with Setsuna and Hotaru privately."

Venus nodded, her nod turning into a bow, then she collected the others. Haruka stood to the side with her arms crossed. Usagi led Pluto and Saturn from the room and wasn't surprised when Uranus joined.

"Haruka, I said I need to speak with them alone."

"I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"I love that you're so protective, but—"

"Do you?" Haruka stopped short, forcing Usagi to either ignore her, or stop as well. Usagi paused, then nodded at Pluto and Saturn to continue. Haruka waited until they were down the hall to speak. "I'm not only protective because you're my Queen."

Usagi could see what she was saying in those sky-blue eyes . "You don't mean that."

"Kitten."

A tingling rush erupted over Usagi's skin at the old nickname. It brought her images of the other Haruka a world away, and the Haruka she'd first met years ago. So similar. Were they really the same? How much was born to a person, and how much was learned?

Uranus held Usagi's hand. "I love you and Michiru both. I have since before we were reborn on this world. Just as Michiru loves both me and the King."

Suspecting and confirming were different, and Usagi felt the shock of reality deep in her bones. Even more so when she knew she was okay with Michiru and Mamoru's bond, because she, too, felt more for Haruka than she did for her other senshi. That was why Haruka drove her crazy, and why Usagi let her get away with impertinent behavior and improper suggestions. Haruka worked on her own set of rules.

"We seem connected no matter what world we're in. But you know I can't leave them there. I can't leave you there. I can heal their world. I know it. All I need is to understand the plasma."

"But we need you."

"And you'll always have me. I promise." Usagi curled into Haruka's arms and reveled in her warm gentle hold. "Let me save them."

To answer, Uranus kissed Usagi's forehead. There was so much weight in that kiss.

* * *

Usagi closed the door to the study behind her. Pluto and Saturn waited within, both quiet and straight backed. Two of her most proper senshi, and the two who would have to break all the rules.

"Neither of you are present in the other world. I need to know how I call you both out to save them."

Pluto mulled over the request. "At first, I could not leave the time door until you, the other you, sent me back to the past to be reborn."

"I don't plan to kill you just to release you from that duty," Usagi sighed impatiently.

"But if you want me to awaken," Saturn spoke up. "Then the talismans must be united."

"With their princess dead, the talismans should have resonated, no matter how far apart Uranus, Neptune, and myself are."

Usagi paced the room. "Then perhaps Saturn has awakened, but not yet been released. She would have been reborn like the others, like you had been, but when their princess was killed, Beryl and Metalia were already in power, and if you were killed in the process…" Usagi let the idea trail off.

Saturn nodded. "It's possible I'm no longer an option on that world. If it can't be destroyed and remade, then you, Queen, will have to heal it."

Usagi shook her head. "The Silver Crystal doesn't work outside of this time and place. It was nothing more than a rock there. The only power I had was the heat and light of the sun, and I don't think that's nurturing like my moon heritage."

A knock at the door. Michiru, Haruka, and Mamoru strolled in. Usagi felt herself warm at being in the same room as them, but swallowed her thoughts and asked for a report.

"Ami is still researching Sphalerite, but the day you and Haruka tried to leave, there was a massive solar today, a smaller flare." Neptune took a seat next to Pluto.

"So it seems I was sent to that other world, and then returned." Usagi swore. She needed to get back, but she wasn't in control.

Mamoru took Usagi's hand. "It's better that you can't return. We can't risk losing you again."

Usagi leaned into her husband. "I was sent there for a reason, Mamo-chan."

"There could be countless versions of this world out there. You can't save them all."

Usagi didn't speak. She had all this power, more now than she'd ever had before, and yet she couldn't save everyone. There would always be death. Always be destruction. But there didn't have to be suffering.

"Pluto, Saturn. Could you give us four the room?"

Respectfully, they nodded and left, though Usagi could have sworn they gave the four of them a slight smile from their eyes.

With the room left to Michiru, Haruka, and Mamoru, Usagi stood to her full height. "We need to discuss us." Quizzical brows met her, so she continued. "Between the four of us are feelings beyond friendship."

"Queen, I—" Neptune began, but Usagi cut her off.

"Mamoru, you feel for Michiru. I've seen your intimate smiles and exchanges."

Mamo-chan cast his gaze away. Usagi smiled.

"Now isn't the time for this," Uranus said.

"I think it's wonderful." A small part of Usagi longed to remember the jealous passion she and Mamo-chan had had in their youth. But there was nothing to be jealous of anymore. "I love you, Mamo-chan. And I know you love me, too. Spending time with Michiru won't change any of that."

"Nor will you spending time with Haruka." He half smiled. Usagi laughed.

"Then there's no problem, and we can focus on the issue at hand. If my abilities can lead me back to the other world, then I have to try."

Neptune turned to Uranus. "What just happened?"

"I think we just got permission to swing."

Mamoru choked and coughed. Usagi palmed her face.

* * *

No matter where Usagi went, she wasn't alone. In the dining room, Makoto—back in her modest civilian dress—presented Usagi with a samping of new recipes. With her appetite sated, Usagi went to the courtyard. Rei practiced her archery with a physical bow and arrow there. In the library, Ami sat surrounded by paper and electronic books. Even in Usagi's personal chambers she was tailed by the King.

Making excuses, Usagi climbed the tallest spire and stood on the seldom used balcony, taking in her city. Crystal Tokyo seemed so simple after the dark chaos of the other world. It was easy to be too comfortable here. To let herself be lulled into a deep rest, just as she had for the last fifteen years. She'd become soft.

"My Queen, are you in need of anything?" Setsuna's rich voice met Usagi's ears, but she kept looking out over the city. So bright, so peaceful.

"I suppose solitude is too much to ask," Usagi mumbled.

"I apologize. Your court is concerned about you. They're protective out of fear of losing you again."

"I wasn't lost," Usagi felt along the smooth crystal banister. "I was where I needed to be."

"But without control."

Usagi sighed and turned to face one of her wisest advisors. "And with no guarantee Sphalerite won't transport me again against my will."

"And now you see why we are all staying so close at hand, but I've spoken with Ami and Michiru. We have an idea." Setsuna approached and presented Usagi with a lavender time key. "This key is coded for only members of the Silver Millennium to contact me. No matter where you are, if there's a version of me, I'll find this key. Pray to it, like you have for the others."

"Thank you."

Setsuna turned to leave, then paused. "Queen, may I ask a personal question?"

"Always."

"I understand Michiru expressed her admiration for the King at your blessing. Might I, also, be allowed a special fondness for King Endymion?" Setsuna's cheeks lit with color as she struggled to maintain eye contact.

Usagi was taken aback. Setsuna had feelings for him as well? She tried not to stumble over her words. "You may express any feelings as you wish. Endymion and I are tied together through love and fate, and if he finds joy in time with you, then I'll thank you for bringing him happiness." Usagi knew she and Mamo-chan would always be together, regardless of outside favor. "Setsuna, would you send for the King to join me here? It seems he and I may want to discuss his popularity," as Usagi said it, she smiled and Setsuna bowed.

Twenty minutes later, Mamo-chan slipped a hand onto the small of Usagi's back. She stood and stepped into his full embrace, then mentioned Setsuna.

"I think having you as one of the only men here might backfire."

"Setsuna still remembers the future King Endymion we met years ago. He and I are not yet one." He brushed back a stray bit of Usagi's hair.

"I'm not upset that she likes you. She has good taste, but you and I are unbreakable. Any shared affection outside of that—"

"Is human, and inconsequential to our marriage."

"Yes," Usagi sighed in relief, her shoulders rounding. "No matter what. If I'm a hundred worlds away or gone forever, you and I will always share something untouchable."

In response, Mamoru kissed her. The sun began to set, the rays lengthening into the final touches of warmth to the day. A deep orange changed the landscape and appeared to set the palace on fire. Their kiss made Usagi warm and safe. She reveled in it, and then turned back to the view. With her husband at her side and her senshi safe, she wanted to feel at ease, but instead she felt dishonest.

This was her world, her roots, and the foundation that led her to become who she was today. But she hadn't earned that title by sitting on a throne. She'd fought for it. She'd sacrificed for it, saved it, and she'd save them too. Queen by title perhaps, but in Usagi's core she was a fighter, a healer, and a lover. She was a senshi, and most importantly, she _wanted_ to be one.

Out there just beyond her reach were worlds suffering, while they sat in comfort and peace. She squeezed Mamoru's hand, then descended the crystal spire.

* * *

As Usagi moved through the palace to the courtyard, she asked Rei to deliver a message to the others for her, and then worked quickly. The Silver Crystal created the palace organically. When she and Mamoru had been crowned, it grew in response to their new title and strength. Now, she needed it to grow again.

With everyone distracted, Usagi stood in the center of the silent courtyard. Holding the crystal tight, she poured herself into it, letting her heart ache with desperation—with hope. The ground shifted, cracking and grinding as new crystal sprouted. The circular base surrounded Usagi and soon reached over her head. As the gap above narrowed, the senshi rushed the courtyard and surrounded the structure.

"Queen!"

Several of them shouted at once, but as the dome closed, their voices became muffled. Uranus approached the glass-like structure and pound on the side. Usagi turned away and let the filtered sunlight refract around the circle and fill the space.

"Sphalerite. You sent me there for a reason. Send me back. Let me heal them."

"Serenity, no!" Mamo-chan's voice rumbled through, but the dome kept him out.

Usagi reached for the light, pulling the heat into herself and imagining it stoking a fire deep within her. Warmth spread along her fingers, her toes. Up her back and down her front. Slick plasma coated her fingers and burned away her gown. The power touched the Silver Crystal and it erupted into the sharp points of a star. It rest on the chain between her breasts next to the lavender key. Usagi called for more fire, more heat, more passion to save her friends.

"Idiot! We have nothing without you!" Uranus's voice, sharp, but also afraid.

New clothing wrapped around Usagi as the sunlight in the dome intensified. She spun to face her senshi. They stopped, some with hands over their mouths, others like Uranus took half a step back. Yes, this was her new power, and just like with the Silver Crystal is separated her from her friends. It always had.

"I love you all. I can't let you suffer anywhere." Usagi felt the pull of the light and heard a voice so deep it rumbled through her body.

"You're beginning to see," It said. Then the light blinded them all and Usagi felt the pull of being yanked into another world. She prayed it would be the same world, the one she could fix.

It wasn't until she landed, back in a new slouched sweater and fresh black tights that she made sense of the reflection in the dome moments before being whisked away.

She'd been in a senshi uniform—one she'd recognized from a vision at the mouth of Chaos. One that had been worn by someone else.

Sailor Cosmos.


	11. Chapter 11

It wasn't possible. Usagi knew the name like a child recognizes pain. Immediate, unerring, and impossible to refuse. Sailor Cosmos.

A memory flash of Cosmos standing over the Galaxy Cauldron. A hint of sadness. The bliss of nothing and then… renewal.

The soft rain of ash and scent of soot grounded her. She shook the image away and focused on here and now. The crystal was still safely around her neck, the power drained down to a hollow shell. Next to it dangled the time key. She'd made it in one piece.

A blast rocketed over Usagi's head. She ducked, as the swell of energy blew past her. A barrage of noise assaulted her ears. Glancing out, Usagi caught sight of Sailor Uranus running at her with the focus of a predator. Neptune's back was to them, her power erupted from her in aqua waves. A clang of metal. Someone cried out.

"Where have you been!? Get down!" Uranus leaped atop Usagi and drove her to the ground as black lightning arced over them.

"What's happening?"

"You abandoned us." Uranus's sword materialized in her hand. "Space sword, blaster!" A hundred merciless strikes hit a black undulating mass that only seemed to grow in response.

"Where are we?" Usagi saw Venus sweep the Holy Sword against a tentacle of darkness. A stillness settled as the mass retreated. Neptune returned to Uranus's side, Venus on her tail.

"The rubble of our home," Uranus didn't hide the angry hiss in her voice. "You ran away and we were attacked. Metalia found us. She killed Mars and Mercury."

"What? No!" Usagi tried to stand up. Uranus pushed her back down.

"We believed in you. We trusted you."

"Uranus, stop it." Venus moved between them. "Now's not the time. Jupiter… Jupiter is gone."

"No. I came back to save you all. I didn't mean to leave—I can't control the jump between worlds!" The black mass seemed to watch them. Usagi swallowed her fear and pain.

"You were on another world?" Neptune wiped her brow.

"I returned to my world, but I came back. I couldn't let you suffer."

"You're too late." Uranus turned away.

Usagi stood and spun Uranus around. Uranus lunged forward, stopping just before touching her. Usagi knew that anger, knew it wasn't aimed at her, and she knew it was clouding Haruka's judgement. "I am your Queen."

"You could have been, but we are the damned."

A deep rumbling grew to a roar in moments. Venus swore. "Protect the Queen." She hoisted her sword and ran off to the swell of darkness. A shape formed, red eyes, black diamond on her forehead. Metalia.

"V-babe, no!"

Too late. Venus combined her chain with the sword, dealing a blow that would have killed a lesser being, but it had no effect on Metalia. A cascade of jagged black crystals rained down. Neptune and Uranus called their abilities out, sending them out at the curtain of death.

Usagi screamed. Blades pierced though Venus. Blood turned the ground red.

She was gone. Venus was gone. Mars was gone. Jupiter. Mercury.

"Enough!" Usagi screamed. A shockwave burst from her, stunning Uranus, Neptune, and Metalia. Something clinked in her pocket and Usagi pulled out the four stones of Mamoru's most trusted advisors. Lots, but not gone; it wasn't too late.

Usagi yanked out the time key, held it above her and cried out to Pluto, to Chronos, to time itself. A vortex opened as a swirling mass of power. Usagi grabbed Haruka and Michiru, then leaped into the unknown. The roar of Metalia followed them, but was shut off moments later as the gates of time slammed behind them.

They fell in a heap at Sailor Pluto's feet. Her staff was aimed at their heads, ready to attack.

* * *

"Don't!" Usagi held out her hands. "By order of your Queen, stand down." Even from the floor, Usagi commanded the space. Pluto hesitated, but glared at them each in turn.

"You're not my queen."

"Then how do I have this?" Usagi held out the lavender key still attached to the chain, the Silver Crystal dangling beside it.

"It's not possible."

"We didn't think so either." Uranus sat back, caressing Neptune's shoulder as she winced.

"This is our Queen from another universe, another version of our world," Neptune explained.

Pluto lowered her staff, then brushed her fingers over the key. Her eyes dulled as she absorbed the essence of power. Usagi could feel the key warm. When she let go, Pluto righted her staff and stepped back.

"Why have you come here? You know I cannot abandon my duties."

Usagi let out a breath and got to her feet. "I need the three of you to unite the talismans. We need to summon Saturn."

"It won't work." Neptune cradled a wound on her arm and leaned on Uranus as they stood.

"Trust me," Usagi knew Saturn may not be an option, but she had to know what happened to Hotaru. She still hoped there was a chance at resetting this version of her world.

Pluto met Uranus and Neptune's gaze, then nodded. Pluto summoned the orb atop her staff to her hand, while Neptune produced the mirror and Uranus her blade. United, the three of them began to hum. Light sprang between them, but nothing more.

"Then she's already here," Usagi said.

"That's not possible. She'd have torn this world apart."

"Unless she was already taken by Metalia." Usagi bit her lip in thought. "I have to find her. Thank you, Pluto. Send us back."

"It's taboo to open the gates of time, even for you." Pluto shook her head.

Usagi looked far off into the fogs of time and smiled. "I seem to exist to break everything, and make it anew." Usagi refocused on Pluto, the well of power stirring within her. The crescent mark warmed her forehead, but her eyes clouded as her father's power flared as well.

"I command you to return with me to the heart of Metalia." Usagi's voice magnified as shards of her from all eras spoke as one. All versions of Usagi knew what she must do. The senshi before her bowed. Pluto extracted a key from her belt and muttered words of prayer to Chronos. A vortex opened behind Pluto, and as Usagi stepped by she beckoned for them to follow.

None of them disobeyed.

* * *

Usagi fell fast and far. The vortex screamed around her. Pluto raised her staff and they hit solid ground, but as the vortex faded, an oppressive swarm of dark power rose over the four of them.

This was the center of Metalia. A wasteland of death. The ground was stripped of plants and dirt, leaving cracked rock and nothing else. Like the eye of a storm, the air was still, but heavy and hard to breathe.

"Idiot kitten, why here?" Uranus kept her voice low. Usagi could hear her hopelessness hidden beneath the annoyance.

"Because this is the end."

Above them, Metalia's formed and smiled down. "You've surrendered to my power. Come to me," a black cylinder of power shot down, but Usagi felt for her light and let it shield them. The plasma rolled over her skin as the memory of the sun's warmth washed over her. The Silver Crystal twitched.

"I've come to set things right."

"What are you doing?" Uranus tried to shout.

Usagi turned back to the three of them and smiled. "Becoming who I've always meant to be." She waited a beat, then focused on the glimmer of the Silver Crystal and the blinding heat of the sun. She let the words bubble up on their own, the instinct to transform pulling at her soul. "Cosmos, Make Up!"

Sunlight and moonlight braided together, weaving a rainbow as the light graced her crystal. A new senshi uniform formed around her. Her hair fluttered, her cresent mark heated. The Silver Crystal became a starburst, and settled atop a staff that elongated at her fingertips. She was ready again to give everything… to save everything.

Uranus swore. Pluto stared and said, "Senshi of the universe, unburdened by the laws of time and space—a myth."

Usagi, now as Sailor Cosmos, had never felt something as endless as the power thrumming through her body. There was so much potential, yet it was trapped in her flesh. She needed to be free, she needed to remove Metalia, restore her senshi, and seek forgiveness for abandoning her family.

Usagi opened her palm to the stones of the four generals. She could keep them safe from Metalia in the next life, if there was a next life. Even with as much power from the sun and the moon as she had, Usagi was not a senshi of death. Usagi couldn't end it, not without help. With a flash of starlight from her fingertips, she encased the four generals as pure light inside her staff for safe keeping. Next time, for sure, she'd give them a life they deserved.

Then Usagi separated the hilt of her staff from the rod, and revealed a thin rapier, sharp as a needle.

"Give me strength." Usagi thrust the blade at her heart.

Haruka screamed.


	12. Chapter 12

Everything stopped. Everything except Usagi's awareness. Metalia, Uranus, Neptune, everything was perfectly still. She watched time cease as Pluto cried out the greatest taboo. Slowly, Pluto withdrew the blade from Usagi's hands, already taking sluggish steps as she weakened. Once Usagi could no longer hurt herself, Pluto released just her from the time stop.

Usagi fell to the ground with Pluto, cradling her. "Setsuna, no! Why would you do that? I had a plan, my life can save you all. This body is holding me back."

"I know this form. I know who you were, and who you are now. The universe needs you."

"Do you know this, too?" Usagi motioned at the hilt of the blade. It opened like a flower and showed the Silver Crystal within. "This is my star seed, the essence of any senshi. Mine was forged in the light of the moon with the strength of a star. Senshi are from planets, moons, comets, but not suns. I'm an anomaly."

To Usagi's surprise, Pluto laughed, the sound hollow as life drained from her. "I've seen all of time. Only you can unite and lead us."

Taken aback, Usagi furrowed her brow. "I'm dead in this world."

"Princess Serenity died, yes, but Sailor Cosmos is eternal."

"We're the same."

Pluto shook her head as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "There was only one."

"One what? Pluto?" Usagi shook her, but she was too late. Swearing, Usagi grabbed her sword and as Pluto returned to shimmering energy, she captured her in the staff. "Hang on Pluto." Neo-Queen Serenity saved her once in the future, now Usagi would do so, too.

Time restarted. Uranus and Neptune had been mid-run when time stopped. They barrelled into Usagi. Metalia's horrid laughter groaned over them.

When Neptune looked around, her pupils contracted in fear. "Where's Pluto?"

"Gone," Usagi reclaimed her rapier and rod, combining them once more into her staff. "It's time," Usagi faced Neptune and Uranus, ignoring Metalia's watchful eyes above.

"For what?"

"To end this. Trust me." Pluto had ruined her initial plan, but Usagi had to trust her power. There would be a way. Black lightning struck around them, but couldn't get closer than a few feet away. Still, the others flinched.

"This can't be how we die. With nothing, no hope, no chance…" Uranus looked away, but clenched Neptune's hand.

Usagi lost all her hesitation, all her fear. There was nothing left but hope, and in that lay power. She was ready to sacrifice everything, and it gave her strength. She let a warm starlight gather around them, comforting them.

"Haruka," Usagi stepped before her, then set her brow against Uranus's. "No matter the world, I will love you." She kissed her, but when Uranus kissed back it was full of desperation and sorrow. Usagi let the kiss end, then turned to Neptune, and acting on impulse, set her lips against Neptune's in a solemn farewell. Would she ever see these senshi again? Was this really goodbye?

"Lend me your power. Trust me."

Uranus and Neptune closed their eyes. Their tiara's morphed into their planetary symbols. Silent tears spilled down Neptune's cheeks, her hand locked with Uranus's. Usagi held up her new staff and began to absorb their essence. Soon they became transparent. As their edges scattered into light, Uranus squeezed Neptune's hand and flicked her gaze at Usagi.

"I love you."

Then they were gone. Had she been speaking to Neptune? Or Usagi?

Even in the storm of Metalia's rage, Usagi cried.

* * *

When her tears eased, Usagi settled into her solitary existence inside Metalia. There was nowhere to run. No more hiding and no more doubt. With Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus absorbed into her staff, Usagi let down her shield of light and bore the dark lightning. She released her senses, stretching out further and further through Metalia's mass and called to her staff.

"Find her. Find them."

Usagi's consciousness seemed to float away in the void. A glimmer drew her focus deeper, even as she remained standing on the broken stones. Mercury's power rushed to her. Usagi felt the playful splashing joy of Ami's spirit rain down over her, absorbing into the staff. This Ami started out like Usagi's Ami; alone, isolated because of her intelligence, but she'd never met Usagi. She'd never fallen in with the senshi as a girl. Instead she grew to a deep depression and threw herself into her studies, using them as an escape from the pain around her. Then Sailor V found her, recruited her, and Luna confirmed her as Sailor Mercury. She'd found a place to belong, even if would eventually take her life.

A burst of heat hit Usagi's mind as Mars flared out. Rei grew up feared and hated for her powers. She used them to protect her family, and to find V. Rei and V had become lovers, finding a comfort in their shared abilities, and the hollowness in their hearts that was not touched until Usagi fell into their lives. Rei absorbed into the staff.

The scent of roses nearly knocked Usagi back as Mamoru surrounded her like a storm. His power made her skin tingle in recognition—her husband, her lover, and yet a stranger. He'd been taken by Beryl when he was fifteen, then imbued with the same dark power from Metalia. Flashes of his life touched Usagi's mind. She saw herself—the her from this world—and watched as her soulmate strangled her, and delivered her body to Metalia. She'd only been fourteen, and her death made Metalia strong. With a touch of surprise and a taste of sadness, Endymion's light became one with Usagi's staff.

Venus's energy bound towards Usagi next, the overwhelming strength of love and devotion crashing into her like a wave. Venus alone had been awakened like in Usagi's world. Artemis found her, trained her as Sailor V, and then she'd awakened as Venus to seek the princess. But it was too late. Venus couldn't save her, and instead kept the ruse of being Princess Serenity alive so the other senshi wouldn't lose hope. Venus slipped into Usagi's staff with a brush of lips and a vision of a grin.

A crackle preceded Jupiter, the lightning arcing her power and soul into Usagi's staff. With it came memories of others fearing her. Her parent's death. The charge she'd build up with every storm until, years after she should have been awakened, she walked through a lightning storm and was struck three times. She remained unscathed, but her boyfriend of the time had been killed. She kept her distance until Luna found her. Slowly she began to trust V and the others, but it wasn't until she met Haruka that she felt her life had direction. Makoto admired Haruka fiercely; trained with her, learned from her, and went with her on assassinations. Haruka was her captain, and she wanted to be just like her. More than that, she'd found acceptance with her. As Jupiter's light finished passing into the staff, Usagi let out a quiet sob.

A light Usagi didn't recognise floated around her, soft and luminous, full of curiosity and hope. As it filtered into Usagi's staff, her eyes flew open and she saw a shadow of herself as a fourteen year old girl, dressed in a school uniform, carefree and—Usagi laughed—hungry. The soul of her younger self didn't recognise Sailor Cosmos as being another version of her, and looked on in wonder. Usagi held out her hand to the girl, and she took it with a smile, sweeping up into the staff without protest and without pain. The girl had lived the same life, until the day she should have awakened. On that day, instead she'd died.

Usagi kept the connection open, her mind bent on the one last soul Metalia had absorbed.

"I can't do this without you, Saturn." Usagi concentrated. Plasma swept off her, chasing back Metalia's reach. Usagi could seal Metalia again, maybe even destroy her. Usagi had come back to save them, and if that meant her life, it would be worth it. This world deserved more that what it got. Her friends and family never should have suffered as they did.

"Don't be afraid, Hotaru. I'll protect this world. I'll protect them all." Usagi felt her then, the timid star that controlled death. Hotaru was soft, gentle, but the heart of Saturn was ruthless and unforgiving. The balanced senshi was stuck, unable to come to Usagi's call. When Usagi opened her eyes she caught the sparkle of her charge buried within the diamond on Metalia's forehead.

"You absorbed Hotaru." Not just absorbed her for her energy, but joined their essences, stealing some of Saturn's power. That was why Metalia was so strong against them.

"It's only a matter of time until you dissolve into my power as well, Sailor Moon." Metalia's voice rumbled the ground.

"No, you couldn't take me then, and you won't touch me as Cosmos now."

Usagi aimed the top of her staff at Metalia's forehead. "Give me my senshi."

Laughter.

Usagi called the plasma to her and began to release it, but stopped. If she destroyed Metalia, she'd destroy Saturn too. Usagi swore and lowered the staff. She could feel Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune clustered within. Their talismans hummed with extra energy. They were united. All they needed was a catalyst to yank Saturn free.

No matter the path, no matter the variations, Usagi always wound up here. As long as the talismans were together, Usagi's death should be strong enough to unite them and force Saturn free. Would Usagi wind up reborn with them? Would she never return home?

Usagi withdrew the blade and set it to her heart. The cold tip pierced her skin, but she settled her breath and rapid heartbeat. She wouldn't be afraid. Not at the end.

"No." A command reverberated deep within her in a voice so rich it gave her chills. Suddenly, Usagi was disconnected from her body, like she was floating in a space between space.

"Hello?" The world she saw was dim and foggy, but a shape came into focus. It was a man, tall and broad with golden yellow hair. He had gold eyes and a starburst on his forehead. He wore a white three piece suit with matching white shoes. Usagi realised she was still in her Sailor Cosmos uniform. She matched him except where her skirt flared in a rainbow and her silver accents set her apart.

"Daughter." His rich voice moved through Usagi and she stared in wonder. He looked middle age, somehow both younger and older than Usagi expected. She curtsied, her heart hammering in her throat. She felt suddenly small.

"Thank you for guiding me," Usagi adopted her royal cadence.

"Why would you take your life?"

"To restore this universe."

"That's not the way."

"I'm afraid without use of my Silver Crystal my options to heal this world are limited."

"Why does your crystal not work?" He didn't move, but somehow surrounded her.

"It's aligned only with my home world. It resonates differently here."

"Then adapt."

"It—"

"Adapt yourself. It is your mother's power solidified. Without it, you've awoken my power. Both are yours to command. Do not ask, do not pray. Be." His voice grew, reverberating through Usagi's bones. Then his power waned. "My child; symbols, tools, and allies do not define you. Fear only yourself."

She felt it again, a soft kiss of sunlight against her brow, just like she had as a child. When she blinked, she was back in her body, standing before Metalia, but something in her shifted. There was warmth and fullness, where before she'd only felt hollow.

Her body hummed with it, becoming lighter as the surge of her power filled her. It was then she felt the vibrations of this universe against her skin. Her moon side battled against the frequency, fighting for control, while her sun side overcompensated to avoid being smothered. Usagi tuned herself to this world, settling the sun to bolster the moon.

The Silver Crystal glowed, the moonlight tempering the heat of the starlight. As they worked together Usagi felt the loop they created and knew what to do.

She raised her staff.

Metalia focused a beam of wretched energy from the twisted diamond on her forehead. The darkness slammed into Usagi and she was thrown back. Her cape twisted around her as she fell, protecting her exposed skin. Metalia tried to hit her again, but Usagi knelt at her staff and held the line.

The loop of Usagi's internal power was like the tides, ebbing and flowing to create an eternal balance. Except, right now, Usagi needed something stronger than unity. She folded the loop upon itself. She crossed the sun and moon within her, then pressed it down. She buckled her own power, until instead of projecting a shield, it flipped inward.

Her own energy inverted, creating a vacuum. Usagi let go. She was the sun and the moon, and she bowed to no one.

A black hole of energy opened over the tip of her staff. Metalia screamed. Black lighting, shards of Metalia's power, and even her ashen aura began to suck into Usagi's staff. Even the condensed power of Metalia's blasts were redirected into the singularity of Usagi's power. She'd absorb it all—and give it back.

Saturn swept in as well, a rush of sweetness, freedom, and rage becoming one with Usagi.

The storm whipped around Usagi as she consumed the energy. More and more of Metalia seeped into the black hole, pressed down into a single point of power and malice.

When the last of Metalia disappeared into the well of Usagi's power, she tried to stop the flow. Usagi strained to close the black hole, and felt she might burst with power. She held her senshi, Mamoru and her other self, the talismans, the four generals, and Metalia all within her. Nullifying their vibrations was like raging a way. She couldn't hold on for long.

"Saturn." Sweat beaded on Usagi's forehead.

The spirit of Saturn erupted from her staff, the light hazy as her incorporeal form stood before her.

"You must end it all."

"Sailor Cosmos, if I end it, I end you, too."

Usagi smiled. "Maybe not." Usagi let another slip of power, releasing Saturn's staff. Saturn gripped it and stared at Usagi with impossibly old eyes. Nothing was older than death, not even time.

She nodded, and let the tip of her Silence Glaive fall. As it struck the ground Usagi felt everything disappear.


	13. Chapter 13

"Well done."

That voice again. Her father's rich voice woke her. Usagi lay in the void of space suspended between Earth and the moon, a bubble of power shielding her from the frozen nothing beyond. Earth hung as a beautiful orb below, the sun illuminating continents with a touch of life.

"What happened?" She couldn't see her father, but felt his presence wherever the sunlight graced her.

"You proved me right."

Usagi waited, then said, "What do you mean?"

"I have many daughters in many worlds, most from the goddess of the Moon, but only one that I've allowed to harness my power. Not every world can be saved, or should, but there are so many that suffer and struggle; ones that need your touch."

"You can see all universes?"

"I will guide you to the worlds in need, but you will always have access to your birth world. My daughter, it's time to go home."

Usagi held her staff and felt the whispering power of her senshi. "I need to release them first, they must be reborn here. Let me see them flourish."

An accepting silence was all Usagi needed. She opened her staff and watched the beauty of her senshi falling back to Earth as shooting stars. Time seemed to speed and morph as she watched, untouched in the cradle of her father's protection.

Then Usagi saw herself, the child she'd truly been when first awakened by Luna. She watched from afar as they grew and met, then battled foes within the solar system. A shadow of Metalia and Beryl had awakened as well—Usagi couldn't hold them forever, but Usagi—Sailor Cosmos—knew they would be defeated his time.

But with Usagi's touch, she made sure the four generals awoke with Momo-chan. They met as young men, drawn to each other just as Usagi and her senshi had been. Their devotion, their selflessness changed the tide of the war against Beryl. Both Beryl and Metalia fell as the senshi and Earth generals joined together.

It was hard to tell if Usagi was watching it all in real time, or catching glimpses of the world below as it developed. Whatever sphere her father's held her in was distorting her placement in time.

Finally, Haruka and Michiru awakened. Usagi felt a desperate pull to see them again. Her father's hold relaxed as he silently consented, and she flashed down in a band of plasma and light, landing not far from Haruka and Michiru. Usagi felt nauseated as the backlash of time caught her. How did Pluto stand it?

Usagi stepped out from the treeline. Haruka and Michiru were kissing in the privacy of the grove. It warmed Usagi's heart, and she forgot she still presented as Sailor Cosmos.

"Who are you?" Haruka went on the defensive, shoving Michiru behind her. Her deep voice made Usagi shiver. Then Haruka flipped out her transformation pen.

"Wait! I'm a senshi like you. Here." Usagi released starlight embedded within her staff—their memories, returning their time together in this universe. Past lives were important to remember. If Usagi had known all of her past, she might have been ready for the day Sphalerite called her away.

What, to Usagi had happened only hours ago, was twenty years of time on this revived planet. Metalia's destruction had been healed, the ash cleared from the atmosphere, and even the trees had regrown.

As the starlight faded from her staff, Haruka blinked, shook her head, then stared at Usagi. She stepped from Michiru, then dashed forward and swept Usagi into her arms. Usagi laughed and when Haruka set her down, Usagi enveloped Michiru into her arms as well.

"I'm so sorry, I couldn't leave without letting you know what happened… without saying goodbye. I can take the memories back if they're too painful."

"Leave them. Michiru and I can use them to guide us, all of us. Our pasts are precious. The memories of you..." Haruka trailed off and wiped away one of Usagi's errant tears as she spoke. There was so much to say, and nothing to say at all.

"Love this world's Usagi just as much as you loved me."

"Of course," Michiru said and gripped Haruka's hand. Haruka smiled, her eyes glassy.

Usagi felt the plasma at her fingertips and knew it was time to return home. How much time had passed on her world? It didn't matter. For the chance to say goodbye, the chance to see them live—it was worth it.

All she could do was grin and cry, her hand over her heart, the other gripping her staff as the neon plasma grew around her..

In a final inspiration, Usagi tore off the studded star emblem at her waist and threw it at Haruka. She caught it, and her surprise was the last thing Usagi saw before the plasma and light overtook her, yanking her away from this world.

Maybe she'd return and find them again.

* * *

Usagi landed in the same crystal dome where she'd left. Sunlight echoed through the many facets of the crystals and filled the circle with golden light and scattered rainbows. She could feel a presence with her—Sphalerite—and his hand on her cheek before the light dimmed and his touch disappeared.

She was home. She'd made it home and yet…

Usagi hugged herself and started to cry. The tears rushed out and stole her breath. Soon she was sobbing, great wracking, hitching breaths and the whole Palace hummed a resonating pitch with her joyful sorrow.

She could hear everyone shouting, running, searching for the source of the Palace's upset. Usagi stayed huddled into herself and waited for the tears to stop. It took a few minutes after that to realize she was still Sailor Cosmos. Here, in this world, she was only needed as Queen.

The Silver Crystal warmed at her touch and collapsed into its standard form. Usagi calmed the frequencies within her, slowly matching them back to her home world. It was like stepping into slippers after a long day of heels, and she adapted easily. She let her connection to Sphalerite sleep and her affinity with the moon surge. Her senshi uniform faded, and her gown and crown fell back into place.

Placing her palm against the crystal, it opened a doorway and she stepped out as Neo-Queen Serenity. King Endymion found her first, his face alight with relief. He nearly ran across the courtyard and embraced her in a crushing hold. Small Lady followed, then the rest of the senshi. It felt right. It felt like home. Usagi relished their touch, their familiar scents of water and wind and fire. The way Makoto always zapped her with a tiny electric shock. Rei's scoffs. Ami's timid kindness, and of course Minako's enhuberence.

Right then Usagi decided she'd remake what it means to be Queen. She had hundreds of years ahead of her to create the kind of life she wanted, and what she wanted was to be one with her senshi, not just their Queen, not just their duty, but their friend—their equal.

Haruka knelt before her, gently taking Usagi's hand and kissing it. The reverence and adoration from such a formal motion made Usagi hold her breath. Haruka's sky-blue eyes captured Usagi's. Then with a smirk, Haruka winked.

Usagi palmed her face, her laugh clearing away the rest of her melancholy.

* * *

EPILOGUE

Time was both fluid and fixed, but certain points, Usagi learned, were essential.

When Sphalerite called on Usagi again, she thought she was ready, but when she arrived at another version of her world, it was past her reign as Queen. Time on this world didn't align with her own. She and her senshi were gone. This future was based on the same foundations of her own—the senshi had been reborn, raised, awakened, and triumphed. Neo-Queen Serenity had reigned, healed, and passed off the throne to her daughter.

Usagi met her alternate-world daughter, who was both a senshi with her own complement of protectors, and a Queen. They referred to her as the Lady Queen, and she was as glamourous and regal as Usagi had ever been. Yet upon seeing Sailor Cosmos, Lady Queen bowed and addressed her with reverence. Usagi saw the glimmer of fear and awe in the Lady Queen's eye.

Somehow, throughout the universes, Sailor Cosmos had become a fearful myth; her power and abilities unfathomable. She was supposedly linked to life itself and could control agents of death. The myths weren't entirely misleading _,_ but being seen as _otherworldly_ was lonely.

This world was tasting the results of a betrayal from an allied planet. The senshi had been corrupted, and were attacking each other. Without knowing how the future of this world was intended to unfold, Usagi could only quell the insidious seeping rage and heal the wounded. From there she sought out the root of the cause and found an old nemesis.

Chaos—like time, death, and even life—had a will that surpassed the boundaries of universes. It knew Sailor Cosmos, knew their history, their future. It knew one would never truly defeat the other because they needed each other. They were a part of each other.

Eventually, Usagi was able to cast Chaos back to the Galaxy Cauldron to await a new beginning.

When Usagi returned to her world it took her six months to recover from the expenditure of battling Chaos. As she regained her strength, she understood that her own future in this world was nothing to be feared. In a few hundred years she would face the Dark Moon and allow herself to be encased in Silver Crystal. In this timeline she had to let Sailor Moon—her past—come forward to grow into who she is now.

The Neo-Queen Serenity Usagi had met as Sailor Moon was doing her duty as Sphalerite's daughter. She had been maintaining life in the timeline, and probably taking a well earned rest. She hadn't been weak, hadn't been unable to fight, she'd simply known when the battle didn't belong to her.

* * *

Usagi smiled and leaned on Mamo-chan's shoulder. Everyone was gathered in their finest gowns and suits to commemorate the anniversary of the King and Queen's coronation. Mamo-chan looked crisp and regal in his flowing cape and suit. He kissed her temple.

Soon they'd present themselves at the top of the Crystal Palace for the world to see. Haruka, who'd chosen a deep blue, floor-length gown this year, stood at Usagi's side, her fingers brushing Usagi's hand. They shared an intimate smile and then as the crystal doors parted, Usagi righted herself and stepped out to face her people.

She was the Queen. She was Sailor Cosmos. But most of all, she would always be Usagi.


End file.
